


Bring It On

by Twist_Shimmy



Series: Everything Hits at Once [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: F/M, I don't have kids what am I doing, additional characters to be added as they appear, here's some happiness for those of us sheltering in place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23307166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twist_Shimmy/pseuds/Twist_Shimmy
Summary: Following their time spent weathering the civil war in Windhelm and their escape from the Thalmor, Fandelmar and Juska have had two years of relative calm. While they'd happily see things remain that way, Skyrim appears to have other plans. In this sequel, Juska and Fandelmar each face threats and challenges of their own. And even though life has hit a bumpy patch, they are bolstered by their faith in each other; together, they can overcome anything, right?
Relationships: Female Talos!Nord/Male Thalmor, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Everything Hits at Once [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1676122
Comments: 20
Kudos: 22





	1. Fandelmar

**Author's Note:**

> This is going up a little earlier than expected; I usually like to get ten chapters or so into a long work before I start posting, just so I can make sure the story is being set up correctly. But, I'm in quarantine in a locked-down city, losing my mind, and thought it might be nice for those of you in a similar situation to get a little treat. Unlike with Now We're Even, this part will NOT have a set update schedule, for the sake of my sanity, and the sanity of my beta. However, I will try, given the current situation most of us are in, to give us regular updates for at least a little while.
> 
> On that note, thank you to TeriGrander and Shadeylex for agreeing to beta this story! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Fandelmar knelt at the entrance to the cave and began harvesting the red-capped mushrooms growing just inside. It was not the easiest pose to strike while in heavy armor, but he had learned over the past few years that Skyrim's caves were full of nastiness. If it wasn't bandits, it would be bears. He didn't feel like dealing with either of these inevitabilities today, so he was keeping to the sun while gathering reagents. He did as Juska had taught him and left enough of the fungus behind that it would have no problem regrowing.

He was feeling like a decent alchemist’s assistant until he noticed a stinging in the pad of his left middle finger. Rolling back on his heels, he briefly inspected the wound before casting a spell and watching it knit shut. It wasn't completely healed, but at least it was closed. That done, he slipped the mushrooms he had gathered into his pack and rose. He had been making the rounds today, collecting reagents that Juska most often used in spring, and had very nearly found everything on his mental list. 

The dartwings could wait, he decided as he rose and walked back to the road. They could gather those later, as a family. That settled, he turned towards Riften and began a quiet trek through the forest, keeping an eye out for spiders as he went. Since he knew that Juska would still be working her stall in the market, he took the time to enjoy the scenery. The difference between the Rift and Eastmarch had been like night and day when they first moved cities, and he had yet to start taking his new, milder surroundings for granted. Not after the endless snow in Windhelm. The new hold hadn't come without its problems, but, as ever, they were nothing that he and his wife couldn't handle. In fact, he was walking into town to meet up with one of their earliest adversaries.

When they had first come to town, the brunt of the money-making had fallen to Fandelmar. Juska had been busy with the administrative nonsense necessary to get a stall in Riften's center market. It had bothered them both that half the merchants in the market were obviously thieves and charlatans, and yet it had proven difficult for her to gain permission from the keep to sell legitimate alchemical wares. So while Juska spent far too much time at the keep, Fandelmar had stationed himself at the local inn and made it known that he was available as hired muscle.

Fandelmar had noticed the Imperial in the corner almost immediately, because the man had a glare that would melt stone. It hadn't taken him long to figure out what was the matter, because the Imperial also appeared to have a quick temper and a low tolerance for alcohol. After Fandelmar’s first few days of ignoring him, it seemed like he had decided direct action was necessary, because he'd risen from his bench and approached Fandelmar's table. 

"This inn already has a mercenary, _friend_."

"I apologize," Fandelmar had said. "We are new in town, and I didn't realize." When he'd risen to relocate to a different part of town, Marcurio had caught him by the arm.

"I'm the only mercenary this city needs."

Fandelmar had looked him over, noting his robes. "That can't be true. You are clearly a mage. I stab things. Those are very different skill-sets."

That reply had not gone over well. The man had challenged him to a fight for the right to station himself at the inn, but Fandelmar had declined.

"Tch. Nobody's going to hire a coward like you, anyway," the man had said as he stalked off, leaving Fandelmar wanting alcohol for the first time in months.

Fortunately for Fandelmar, people _had_ wished to hire him, and it had only been a couple of days before he’d received his first job offer. Trade in and out of the city, it turned out, was frequently waylaid or misplaced, and more than one merchant in town was in the habit of sending hired muscle to collect their cargo. Typically, his presence proved enough to keep the thieves away, though the local bandits had still tried their luck, since they had numbers on their side. 

Though the Imperial in the inn hardly, if ever, took on those sorts of jobs, he’d still resented that Fandelmar was working. The snide comments and open threats had continued, but Fandelmar had ignored them. He'd dealt with worse in Windhelm, after all. One day, however, the man had made the mistake of turning his ire on Emilie, Juska's thirteen-year-old sister, who had been living with them long enough for Fandelmar's paternal instincts to have kicked in strongly. He hadn't _threatened_ her, but that had done little to improve the situation in Fandelmar’s mind.

"That Imperial at the inn says to tell you to watch your back," she'd told Fandelmar when he’d come home from running errands in town. 

He'd turned right around and gone back out the door, marching straight to the inn. The Imperial had been sitting on his usual bench, and Fandelmar had leaned in close over him and gritted his teeth. "You keep the children out of this."

"Or you'll what, loom at me?"

Fandelmar had sighed. "Is fighting the only language you know? Stand up."

The other man had risen easily. Fandelmar had spent a moment wondering if he was really going to allow himself to be baited by this man, but he had involved _family_ , and that was untenable. At least he’d been out of armor, so his opponent couldn’t cry foul later. That, and the other man had seemed relatively muscular for a mage, so could probably hold his own.

Fandelmar had let him throw the first punch, and realized as soon as it landed that his opponent _wasn't_ a mage, at least not completely. The rest of the inn had scattered to the edges of the room as the two of them did their best to beat each other senseless. Fandelmar had the upper hand, despite this not being his typical method of conflict resolution, but only just. His opponent was stubborn, but as was often the case, Fandelmar had been stubborn for much longer. Because of this, by the time the Imperial had ceded the fight, both of them were bruised, bloody, and breathless.

"Will you leave me alone now, please?" Fandelmar had asked as the other man staggered back to his bench and began healing himself.

The Imperial had eyed him. "Fine. But it's rude of you to have moved in on my territory."

Fandelmar had taken a moment to wipe at the blood streaming from his nose. He’d needed to get cleaned up before he went home, but he hadn't been confident enough in his healing abilities at the time to use them in front of an audience. When the other man had pulled a cloth from his sleeve and offered it out, Fandelmar had taken it and tilted his head back, pinching his nose.

"May I sit?" When he received a nod in reply, he’d settled in next to the Imperial. Fandelmar rested his head on the wall behind them and continued holding his nose. "We need to find a compromise. I have a wife and two children at home, and they need me working. Would an agreement that I mention you to people seeking more than a guard for their valuables count for anything? You seem more suited to adventuring than I."

"Sure, if you agree not to mention that you nearly punched my face off. Getting beaten by an Altmer is a sore spot for any Imperial worth his salt." He’d grinned at Fandelmar, who had laughed in surprise.

"Deal." He’d held out his less bloody hand, and the other man had shaken it.

"I'm Marcurio, by the way."

"Fandelmar."

"You might need to run that by me a few times for it to stick." 

Fandelmar had laughed again. "I'll find you when you're sober and remind you." With that, he’d risen. "I need to get clean before I go home, for the girls' sakes."

"You can use the basin in my room, if you want," Marcurio had offered. "My door's unlocked, and the water's fresh." He’d pointed upward. "It's the one right above us.”

"I appreciate it." 

Fandelmar had hauled himself up the steps and into Marcurio's room. It had smelled a little stale, though was otherwise clean, and the basin had been in promised condition. He’d wiped the blood from his face and hands, then spent a few moments healing himself. He had been able to close the welt on his cheek and his split knuckles, and take care of the worst of the bruising. By candlelight, it was possible he would simply look slightly yellower than usual.

Juska had, of course, noticed immediately, and had not been impressed by his story. It had taken several minutes to convince her not to bolt into the inn and finish what Fandelmar had started, and she had been cold to Marcurio for a long while afterward. The Imperial, however, had settled into a strange sort of joviality over being beaten, and once Fandelmar had made good and sent a few clients whose work he would be better suited for his way, he’d become downright friendly. Soon, the two of them were spending the early evenings together when they weren't working, and Fandelmar wasn't busy with the house. It gave Fandelmar someone to talk to while he waited for Juska to close her stall.

Now, when he entered the Bee and Barb, Marcurio grinned at him and raised a tankard. "Good evening! I was starting to wonder if you'd be by tonight."

Fandelmar eased into a chair across from him at the table. "Emilie is with Janne. I was out collecting reagents for my wife."

"How's her business faring?"

"Better and better. I believe it helps not being down in the canals."

"That, and her soaps smell amazing." Marcurio chuckled. "It makes me wish my room had a bathtub."

This caused Fandelmar to be, yet again, thankful that they’d been able to take their furniture with them when they moved from Windhelm. The broken wagon wheel they'd dealt with in the volcanic tundra had been well worth it. "I'll be honest. We use her soap at home."

"Of course you do! When you have access to perfection, you take advantage of it." Marcurio had a sip from his tankard. "Will you be drinking with me tonight?"

Fandelmar shook his head. "Janne has been fussy at night recently. Juska needs sleep for work, and Emilie takes care of her during the day. Nights are my time."

"You're a good father."

"Isn't he, though?"

Both men turned and saw Juska standing nearby, holding a cash box and smiling her adorable gap-toothed smile. She slid into the seat between them.

"How was work?" Fandelmar asked.

Juska frowned. "Sapphire tried to get me to pay 'protection fees' again."

Marcurio focused on his mead as Fandelmar sighed through his nose. "I'll speak with her again tomorrow."

"You know that's not going to change anything, right?" Marcurio murmured. "Everyone in town but Bersi and Mjöll gave up years ago."

"And us," Juska replied. "We've dealt with worse." She briefly ran her hand over the back of Fandelmar's head. "We need to get home, love."

Fandelmar rose immediately. "Enjoy your evening, Marcurio. I apologize for the short visit."

"Stay safe, you two." He polished off his mead and grinned up at Fandelmar. "You won't, but I say it anyway."

Juska slipped the cash box under one arm and took his hand, and they walked toward the little house they were renting. As it came into view, Fandelmar suppressed a frustrated sigh. In an ideal world, they would be living in a house he built himself. Unfortunately, Skyrim was not an ideal world. When he’d first approached Jarl Law-Giver to ask about the purchase of land, she had told him that he was too new to the hold, and that he needed to prove his worth to Riften before she could reward him. Fair enough. He had taken out an entire skooma ring that had been operating out of a warehouse on the docks. When he had returned to share the news, she had told him that he’d made "a solid start." And so here they were, more than a year into living in Riften... and still renting.

Juska must have felt the tension that had crept into his body while he was deep in thought, because she squeezed his hand. She responded with uncanny accuracy. "You always tell me to be patient, and that things will change. Don't forget that now."

He sighed. "I know. It's just that my family deserves more than this." He gestured at the little wooden house. There was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't _theirs_. 

"You're sweet. We'll get there." She rose onto her toes to give him a kiss, because this was likely to be the only moment they were alone for the majority of the night. He ran his fingers through her hair and let the feel of her lips drain the stress of the day away. Eventually, she pulled back, but he got the sense that she did so reluctantly, given the light nip she gave his lower lip. "Time to wrangle the kids."

He grinned at her. "My favorite part of the day."

She opened the front door and called in. "We're home!"

Two responses came immediately: "Thank Talos!" from Emilie, who was working on dinner in the kitchen, and screams of " _Mom! Dad!_ " in Aldmeris from their little girl. When Fandelmar entered the house, Janne shrieked again and began running for him. He caught her before she fell and pulled her up into the air, giving her a quick spin before settling her gingerly onto his armored hip. 

Juska was soon beside them both, and quickly began rebraiding her daughter's long, pale blonde hair while she was being held still. 

" _How was your day? Good?_ " She said it in accented Aldmeris, but it was clear and understandable. She had decided when Janne began talking that she would learn Fandelmar's language right alongside her daughter, which had made him pathetically happy. She had mentioned wanting to learn it before, but he had never expected to this extent. And with both of them speaking Aldmeris, it meant that their daughter would learn it that much better. He needed her to have that connection to her heritage, and Juska appeared to understand that.

" _Yes!_ " Janne beamed at her mother and patted her arm with a sticky hand.

Fandelmar looked over at Emilie and smiled. "I see you were letting her help with dinner."

Emilie scoffed, but seemed amused. "I let her help me knead the bread. She acted like it was the best thing she's ever done."

He passed his daughter off to his wife and walked to the dining room table, setting his pack down and flipping back the lid. "Ladies, I have presents."

Immediately, Juska and her sister gravitated toward him. He removed a satchel and offered it out to his wife. "Mushrooms, mostly." Then, he produced a book with a slightly sun-bleached cover and offered it out to Emilie. "A book about local plants and animals. I found the sketches amusing."

She immediately buried her nose in it and began walking for their tiny living area. Juska looked over at Fandelmar and laughed. "Looks like I'm finishing dinner."

"The stew just needs some stirring," Emilie said distractedly as she sank into a chair.

"Let me get out of my armor and I'll entertain the baby. Your sister has earned a break."

"You're the best.” 

Fandelmar walked into their small bedroom and began placing his steel armor on its stand. It had been difficult adjusting to heavier armor, but he was no longer taking chances with his safety. They hadn’t exactly been flush after the expense of the move, but Juska had been able to trade the local blacksmith a small quantity of precious fire salts for a discount on a new set of steel armor, and Fandelmar became less worried about the likelihood of not making it home to his family as a result. Elven armor might have brought him to Juska initially, but now he wanted his armor to keep him with her for as long as possible. Once his kit was in place, he took Juska's comb off of her side table and brushed through his hair. After that and a quick wash of his hands and face in the basin, he felt ready for father duty.

Emilie was devouring her new book when he walked back into the main room to retrieve Janne from Juska. He could already tell that she was taking after her mother. He had been a quiet, almost sullen child, but she was almost always cheerful and ready to laugh. She might look more like him, with bright green eyes, softly pointed ears, and skin that seemed to be settling toward olive rather than pink or golden, but thankfully her personality was all her mother's. 

...Ah. He'd done it again. Juska had been chiding him about thinking negative thoughts about himself since they had married. If she could have heard that thought, she would have said, "Hey. That 'thankfully' needs to fuck off." And then she would start listing the positive aspects of being quiet and bookish. He smiled to himself at the thought, and Janne caught the expression and smiled back. 

Having one of Juska's little sisters living with them had helped him realize that the traits he'd always personally considered to be flaws weren't always so. Emilie read, perhaps more than Fandelmar had at her age, which made her quiet as a side-effect. However, as a new father who had, in a way, had two children arrive at once, he had thanked the gods for how easy she was to entertain. Having an infant had been difficult enough, especially while Juska was recovering. Even two years later, Emilie was easily bought with books, to the point that Bersi gave them first pick of any books that came through his shop. Fandelmar had built several shelves for Emilie's room since she had arrived.

Fandelmar began tossing Janne gently into the air and catching her, which made her scream with glee.

"Dinner's nearly done," Juska called. "Don't wind her up too much."

She was right. They needed her to stay in her chair. "Do you want to play Pony?"

Janne giggled and nodded. 

"You be good at dinner, and we can play afterward, okay?"

When she nodded again, Fandelmar kissed her forehead. "Let's sit at the table and enjoy Auntie's dinner."

Emilie looked up from her book. "Still hate it when you call me that."

"Unfortunately," Fandelmar said as he eased his daughter into a chair at the table, "that is what you are."

She sighed, but closed her book and took up a seat on the other side of her niece. Juska took the few steps from the stew pot to the table and set a bowl in front of both of them before returning and retrieving her serving, as well as a smaller bowl for Janne. 

"You're in charge of feeding her tonight," Juska told him.

Fandelmar stopped his daughter from grabbing at the stew with her hands. "It's hot," he said in Aldmeris, before adding "blow on it" in common. She took to this task enthusiastically, which allowed him the chance to take a few bites of stew. "Good as always, Emi."

She smiled. "That's all Ma. She spent the whole time you two were trying to make a baby cramming my head full of recipes."

Juska made a face. "I'm sorry."

Emilie shrugged. "I like cooking, and recipe books are interesting. Someday I want to try out all the spices I've never had the chance to use."

"Mm, to have a disposable income like that," Juska replied.

"I can dream! You two make more money than Ma or Pa ever have, so I have to learn something from being around you, right?"

Fandelmar chuckled, but most of his attention was focused on encouraging proper spoon etiquette from his daughter.

Juska grinned at her sister. "You're smart. You'll probably do even better than us."

"Oh, Jus." Emilie frowned and set her spoon down. "You're smart, too."

She made a noncommittal noise. "I'm trying."

It was Fandelmar's turn to frown. "Juska," he murmured, glancing her way. She had been self-conscious about her comparative lack of education almost since he had known her. When she had found out that she was pregnant, she had begun tearing through books at an alarming rate, as well as spending hours working toward improving her penmanship. Fandelmar had enjoyed reading with her at first, but had soon noticed that she was approaching it more as work than a hobby. When questioned, Juska had looked embarrassed.

"Our kid is _not_ going to be an idiot," she'd said. 

Nothing Fandelmar had said had convinced her to stop. Janne was just past two now, and Juska was still reading non-fiction ravenously. He suspected that this was the latest iteration of her sense of inferiority to Altmeri women, and so supported her instead of trying to talk her out of it. He knew that she was going to need to come to terms with this particular problem on her own.

"Sorry," Juska said to him. 

He reached out and brushed her hair behind one ear. He certainly wasn't one to judge for a bit of uncertainty of self.

Janne chose this moment to upend her bowl, which set both of them into action. Juska swooped for the rags, and Fandelmar lifted his daughter out of range to prevent her from getting messy, as well. Juska's sister just sighed and finished the last few bites of her stew in a hurry. 

"She did that with lunch, too."

Once that mess was cleaned up, Fandelmar took his daughter into their room to wash her up in the basin before bedtime. Once she was clean, Juska took her so that he could finish his dinner, and spent time looking at the woodcuts in one of their few children's books. As promised, they played Pony afterward, but for the sake of his back, only for a few minutes. She was getting heavy.

When he collected Janne to put her down to sleep, Juska and Emilie tackled the dishes and the kitchen. Their early evening routine was well-practiced. As usual, Janne went down easily in her room, falling asleep in his arms after just a few of the lullabies he had learned from his mother. She didn't wake when he slipped her into her crib, crept from the room, and avoided the floorboard by the door which tended to squeak.

Fandelmar yawned as he left her bedroom and returned to the living space. Typically, they all read together in the evening. Tonight, however, Juska busied herself in the kitchen.

“I’ve got a few orders getting picked up tomorrow.” She gave him a sheepish grin and started pulling reagents out of the cabinets.

After adding a log to their fireplace, Fandelmar settled down near Emilie to read, as well. Sometimes the silence was broken by one of them reading a line or passage that they found to be interesting, but generally the only noise was bubbling and grinding from Juska’s work in the kitchen. Considering that all three of them were busy most days, Fandelmar suspected that this was just what they needed. There was much to be said for a quiet life, especially after what all the three of them had been through at the hands of his former employers.

Emilie rose for bed a little while later, and bade them both goodnight before moving to her room beside Janne's. Once she was done brewing, Juska relocated, leaned against Fandelmar, and rested her head on his shoulder. When she grew heavy rather than relaxed, he chuckled and ran a hand over her hair.

"Juska," he murmured. "Ready for bed?"

"Mmmhm. My feet ache from standing all day. I should be lying down."

He kissed her temple and closed his book. "Let me work on them a bit before you sleep."

She groaned happily and rose. "I was hoping you'd offer."

Fandelmar took a candle as Juska put the others out, and they walked for their room together. Juska slipped out of her dress and into one of his shirts, and he stripped down to trousers. He spent a few minutes rubbing Juska's feet while she quietly asked him to order several reagents. They'd both been leveraging his early mercantile background to expand her stall's stock recently, and it had been working well. He listened, committing the list to memory for tomorrow, as his thumbs eased along her arches. When her eyes started lidding heavily, he laughed and pulled the covers over her.

"Sleep, Juska."

She held out an arm. "Come here."

Fandelmar settled into bed beside her and nestled in close, letting himself relax and enjoy her warmth and her scent. They were both nearly asleep when they heard a cry from Janne's room. 

"Shit," Juska groaned.

"I'll get her down again. You need the sleep more than I do."

"I fucking love you, Fandelmar." Juska rolled over into his spot and curled up as he rose again.

He stifled a chuckle and left the room, walking quietly to keep from rousing Emilie in case his daughter hadn't yet managed it. A father's work was never done. Unlike with his previous profession, however, he enjoyed this new work very much, and was looking forward to it continuing.  
  
  



	2. Juska

Juska woke with the sun, just as she had for years. By now, the light had to barely be above the horizon to make her open her eyes. She had vague memories of Janne crying three times overnight, but Fandelmar had risen with her each time. She turned onto her side and looked him over. The urge to reach out and touch him was strong, but he was soundly asleep, and after he had been so nice to let her rest go unbroken, she wasn't about to take this from him.

Still. The urge was _strong_. She'd always liked his arms, but in the past year and a half he'd actually filled out a bit more from when they'd met. Some of it was the change to heavier armor, she knew, but she also suspected that some of it was good food and less stress. He had been such a finicky eater in Windhelm, but here he finished his meals. What Juska liked the most, though, was the slight lessening of definition in his stomach muscles that had accompanied his weight gain. It made him look healthy, and well-fed, which were two very good things that showed how much happier he was in Riften. Sometimes it made her feel a little guilty to realize how much he had dealt with so that she could finish her alchemy training with Ruvene.

It said a lot about their old home that the Thieves Guild managed to be less of a worry for him than Windhelm's citizens. And Jarl. And the city guard. The first few months here had been a struggle, but his smiles came more easily now, and lasted longer. It was a nice change from their last few months in Windhelm, when she'd been so ill. The first part of her pregnancy had gone fine, so it had been a surprise to everyone when food had started to make her sick. Her ma'd had no idea what was going on, but thankfully Ruvene had seen the condition before. She told Juska to eat meat and plants, and avoid breads and sugars. Being pregnant and denied bread while living over a _bakery_ had been torture, but she had done it. And once Janne had been born, she'd gotten better. But gods, Fandelmar had been so scared. He had never said a word, but he hadn't needed to. She had been able to see it in the lines around his pretty green eyes that had shown up when he thought she couldn't see his face.

She crept out of bed and began dressing as silently as possible to keep from waking Janne. Emilie generally rose with her in the morning, but both of them would be cranky if they woke this early, and she didn't want Fandelmar to have to deal with that. She was running low on soap for the shop, so was going to have to take over the kitchen after dinner to make more, and that meant she needed Emilie in a good enough state to help Fandelmar with Janne.

Talos' tits, but things would be a lot simpler if they had a shop of their own. Hafjorg had made it very clear that she would sell her husband's shop for the right price, but... Juska _really_ didn't want to live down in the canals. The thought of raising Janne in all that stone and smell was more than she could handle. A good chunk of her current clientele came to her because her booth was easier to access, too, so she might actually lose clients if she took over Elgrim's shop. There were one or two storefronts just off the central market that were for rent, but the owners had ties to the Thieves Guild, and Juska had no intention of paying them "protection" fees. Even if Sapphire had spent all of yesterday leaned against a post, watching Juska with her arms crossed. After what they'd been through in Windhelm, she was going to have to step it up a few notches to make Juska nervous. 

Maybe Fandelmar could talk some sense into her today. She should probably leave early and go to the shrine of Talos in the graveyard to pray, just in case. Everyone in town said that the Thieves Guild had no bite, but Juska was well aware that things like that could change quickly. She slipped into the main room and began packing last night's brewed potions and her other wares into a small crate, then collected her cash box from its shelf by the door. After counting out some coin for Emilie in case she needed to get something in the market during the day, Juska carefully opened the door and let herself out into the chill morning air.

It had taken some doing, but she was getting used to Riften's smell. That was a good thing, since her market stall was right at the edge of the canal. It had been cheap enough for them to afford when they arrived for a reason. Still, she couldn't be too upset about it, because she was making decent money. If things continued like this, they would be just fine.

Juska walked through the market, saying hello to the few merchants who were already there setting up, and to the far side of town, where the keep was. She stopped at the shrine to Talos and worked through the prayers faithfully enough to make her pa happy. She tended to come in the early mornings, before the priestess arrived to tend the site. She didn't like who Juska was married to, or what her child was. It was easiest to avoid her completely, and worship alone. 

She and Fandelmar were going to have to have a talk about religion soon, she realized. Who Janne chose to worship would be her decision, of course, and it would probably be easiest for her to fall in with Mara, but Juska still wanted her to know about Talos. And he might want her to know about some of the gods the High Elves worshipped. She'd read a book about their gods a little while ago, but had never asked Fandelmar if he favored one specifically. Well. Probably Akatosh, if he wasn't just using his name as a curse-y placeholder like she did with Talos and his tits. 

Juska caught herself chewing on her lip and laughed a little. She needed to stop worrying and get to work. 

It didn't take long for Riften's market to fill with people. It was easily as crowded here as the old market in the Stone Quarter had been in Windhelm, though with substantially more pickpockets. She'd gotten good at warning them away from her customers. The only place their coin should be going was into her cash box. The redheaded Nord who ran the "alchemy" booth across the way didn't like it, but what was one more glaring thief?

All of her customers had arrived to pick up their orders by midday, which was a good sign. She wished she'd had the time to make more soap last night, too, because several people came by wishing for specific scents that she'd run low on. Most of them she was able to talk into coming back in a couple of days, when she'd be restocked, which was also good. Gods. At this rate she'd be staying up late every night working on orders. 

Maybe she should talk to Emilie about apprenticing. She was certainly smart enough for it.

The market crowd thinned a bit as people filed away for the midday meal. Juska had gotten used to only eating two a day when she first opened her stall, because it wasn't worth it to break down her display each time. When Fandelmar had realized this, he'd started bringing her food, and would stand with her and chat while she ate. It was adorable, and was also how she had finally gotten a chance to taste his cooking. On his busy days, he brought food that her sister had made, which was also good. 

Her stomach had just started rumbling when she saw his tall frame weaving through the market. He saw her watching and smiled, before holding up a finger, asking her to wait. At that, he turned left and walked toward the inn, where she realized Sapphire was standing and glaring again. She stiffened as he approached, but when he pointed toward Juska's stall and began walking, she followed him. Juska wondered if Sapphire was aware that her walk was more intimidating than her glare; people scattered like droplets of water when she waded into the market. 

"Hello, Sapphire," Juska said as they approached.

The thief stopped in front of their stall and looked up at Fandelmar. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to speak with you," he said as he began unwrapping the bundle he'd been carrying. Juska caught the smell of warm bread and silently thanked her sister for being so helpful. Fandelmar set the food in front of her, but took one of the two apples he'd brought and offered it out to Sapphire. "Apple?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It needs to be eaten." Fandelmar held it up for closer inspection with a flourish of long fingers.

Sapphire snatched it from his hand and looked it over before taking a bite. Juska took the moment to slice some cheese to place atop the bread, and took a bite to stop her mouth from salivating so hard over the smell. It was unreal how much having Janne had increased her appreciation for bread.

"Juska tells me that you spoke to her yesterday." Fandelmar was out of armor, and his posture was casual. When Sapphire just stared at him and took another bite of apple, he continued. "I thought it might be a good time to remind you that we have no intention of paying fees to your guild."

"Boss isn't going to like that. We've been nice about this, because you're new. We figured it would take time for you to figure out how Riften works." She eyed him as she had a large bite from the apple. Juska had to fight a scowl showing, partly because of her words, and partly because of how _blue_ Sapphire's eyes were as they scanned him. 

Fandelmar glanced across the market at the red-haired Nord before looking back to Sapphire. "We can handle anything your charlatan alchemist can throw at us, believe me."

Sapphire shook her head. "He's not the boss. You haven't met my boss yet, luckily."

He tilted his head slightly, encouraging her to make eye contact with him. When she did, reluctantly, he spoke softly. "I am a very stubborn man. Even Windhelm's torturers found me difficult to bend. What can your boss do that is worse?"

A flicker of something crossed Sapphire's face, but it was too fleeting for Juska to place it. "At this rate, you're going to find out. He's not a nice man."

"You all have rules against killing."

"You can make someone's life Oblivion-bound without ever touching them, too." Sapphire shrugged and tossed the apple core into the canal. "Thanks for the apple. When you decide to start paying up, you know where I'll be."

"Yeah," Juska said. "Lurking in the shadows of a building, staring at me while I work." 

This made Sapphire smile at her. "Hey, at least the view's not bad." With that, she turned and strode back to her post.

Juska sighed and had another bite of bread and cheese. "She's settling back in to keep staring, isn't she."

Fandelmar moved to block Sapphire's view of Juska with his back. "She is."

"...Do you think they can really make us regret not paying them?"

He made a thoughtful noise as he considered. "I expect they will try. But I am a light sleeper from so long spent as a soldier, so I also expect that any robbery attempts will go poorly. Your stall is more at risk, but you already bring the coin back with you at night. We may just need to keep it somewhere other than the shelf by the door."

"Good point." She had another bite of lunch and changed the subject. "Do you have work today?"

Fandelmar shook his head. "No. I've already sent off letters to our new suppliers. I'll probably need to go escort a shipment in a few days, but today I'm giving Emi a break."

Juska reached out and touched his cheek. "You look tired."

He smiled at her. "There are worse reasons to be tired."

A woman she recognized chose this moment to appear beside Fandelmar, and Juska quickly shoved her lunch aside. Fandelmar winked at her once, and then slipped away as she smiled at her customer. 

The rest of the day saw steady business, which made time pass quickly. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to set, and the market was breaking down. No merchant in their right mind stayed out in Riften after dark. She slipped her few remaining potions into a crate, set her cash box atop it, and began hauling everything back to the house. Her route took her alongside the inn, where the street was narrow and the shadows were long. Their little house's placement was the worst part about it. 

"Have a good night," murmured a voice from the darkness beside her.

Juska nearly dropped her crate. "Talos' _tits!"_

Someone opened the door to the inn, and light flooded the space around her, revealing Sapphire standing nearby. Juska shifted her grip on the crate and pretended to be certain that the woman wasn't about to rob her. Juska was out of armor, and Sapphire looked very strong.

"Need help with your stuff?" Sapphire grinned and straightened from the wall.

"I've got it," said a voice from the inn door. Juska turned her head and saw Marcurio, who was frowning hard at Sapphire.

The Nordess threw up her hands. "Hey, okay. I'm going."

Marcurio moved to Juska's side and continued frowning. Sapphire laughed, and then turned and sauntered off toward the canal.

"Good timing," Juska breathed.

He reached out and took the crate. "You might want to start leaving a little earlier than the rest of your merchant friends."

She chewed on her lip as they resumed walking toward the house. "Yeah. That's a good idea."

"And carry a weapon. Or learn some magic. I can teach you a few spells, if you're interested."

Juska shook her head. "I'll be fine with my knives."

"Suit yourself."

They reached her door, and Juska eased it open to let some light out. "Thank you, Marcurio. Do you want to have dinner with us?"

"Some other time. I'm actually headed out on a job."

"Just let me know when." She took the crate from him, then stepped backward into the doorway.

"Will do. Tell Fandelmar I say hello."

"Hello," came a soft voice from the house. It sounded like Fandelmar was in the kitchen. Marcurio chuckled, and then turned for the city gate. Juska watched him until he was around the corner, then closed and locked the door.

Fandelmar heard the lock engage and looked up sharply, forehead deeply lined. Juska met his eyes and very slightly shook her head as her little sister glanced up from the book she was reading to Janne. 

"Welcome home," Emilie said.

"Mama! Hi! Hi!"

Juska set the crate down by the door and groaned before walking over to pick up her squealing daughter. "Thank you. What smells so good?"

"Fandelmar cooked," her sister replied. "Lunch, too."

"It's a fish stew. My coastal childhood is shining through today." Fandelmar began dishing stew into bowls. "I know we had a stew just yesterday, but the recipe is simple and I was busy cleaning."

Juska slid into the seat beside the little chair Sven had built for Janne and began getting her situated. "That's what you get for being a neat-nick."

He set a small bowl in front of their daughter. "I let this cool already."

Emilie wandered over, book closed but in hand, and accepted a bowl of her own. "Do you have a lot of work tonight, Jus?"

She grimaced. "Yeah. I need to make more soaps. Why?"

"Fandelmar said he'd read to us, if you were free."

"I can stir and listen at the same time." She stifled a yawn and settled in to help Janne eat.

" _You tired, mama_?"

Juska had to think for a moment to translate the words from Aldmeris, and then to translate her reply back. " _Yes. I worked hard today_."

Emilie wrinkled her nose and focused on her stew. Fandelmar noticed the expression and chuckled. "Should I find you an Altmer grammar book?"

Her sister took a bite of stew and appeared to consider this. "You know what? Yeah. I could help her learn, right?"

Fandelmar nodded. "You could."

Juska smiled and added, "Thank you, Emi."

"I need to know what you three are saying to each other if I'm going to stay here, anyway."

"Having a language that nobody else knows can be useful," Fandelmar said, meeting eyes with Juska.

Emilie looked between them. "That's the second time you two have done that tonight."

Juska stifled a frown at her sister's observational abilities. "I'm sorry. If it were something to worry about, we would tell you."

"Ohhh. So it's sex stuff!"

Fandelmar nearly choked on a bite of stew, and Juska giggled despite herself. "Emilie. Don't kill my husband with your manners."

Her sister grinned, but she settled down. Thankfully, the rest of dinner was uneventful, and Juska managed to get more food in her daughter than on her. After the day she'd had, she'd take the victory. Fandelmar took Janne for her bath while Juska began moving cast iron pots into position to start the evening's work. They always kept the baby out of the room while Juska worked with the lye. Gods, it would be nice to have her own shop. She measured out fat into a pot to get it warming, added the lye to a bowl of water, and then began sorting her herbs while everything reacted. Lavender, rose, and lemon sage were her biggest sellers, so she got busy making large batches of each. 

Fandelmar came back into the room with Janne once it was safe, and he settled in to read with his daughter in his lap and his sister-in-law at his side. It turned out to be a book of myths and tales about Akatosh. Emilie looked over at Juska, checking for her reaction, before settling in to listen. Ma and Pa would never have let her _near_ that book, but Juska saw no harm in learning about the other Aedra. If he'd walked in with a book of Daedric tales, that would have been another matter entirely. 

By the time Juska had finished pouring her soaps, Fandelmar had finished three stories and Emilie was falling asleep where she sat. Her sister rose for bed as Fandelmar went to put Janne down for the night. Juska spent a moment alone in the main room, just sitting, breathing, and enjoying the solitude. Still, when she heard Fandelmar stop singing and move into their bedroom, she put out the lights in the main room and joined him.

Fandelmar looked up from where he'd been washing his face in the basin. "What happened today?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. "Marcurio saved my ass. I think Sapphire was going to rob me to make a point."

"You could have taken her."

"I appreciate the faith, but my hands were full, and she's built like a workhorse."

He considered for a moment. "Do you want to start paying them, Juska?"

She snorted. "Fuck no."

Fandelmar crossed the room and began petting her hair. "I don't want them to hurt you."

Juska leaned against his chest and took a moment to just breathe and feel him. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Let's go to bed."

After washing her hands, she undressed wearily, and then slipped under the covers beside him. He pulled her close against his chest again, and she made a content noise and nuzzled at his neck. His hand traveled up and down her back, beside her spine, gently rubbing away the tension of the day. Juska closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle, pleasant tingle in her hips that the feeling was awakening.

"I've been thinking about something."

"Hmm?" He pressed his lips to her ear.

"How would you feel about having another baby?"

His hand stilled. Juska opened her eyes and pulled back to look at him.

"...It hardly seems like the time, given what happened today."

"I don't mean right away. But if we wait much longer, the age difference between the baby and Janne might be too big. It's something to think about."

"Juska." He sighed her name and reached out to run his thumb along her cheek. "Do you remember how sick you were?"

"Yeah, but we made it, didn't we?"

Fandelmar went quiet. His brows were knitted and his lips were thin. She could tell immediately that her reply had _hurt_ him, and immediately felt like the worst person in the world. 

"Fandelmar. What did I just do?"

His thumb ran along her cheek again. "I've already lost a wife by accident. Please don't ask me to risk you knowingly. I wouldn't—" He cut himself off, closing his eyes and swallowing hard.

"Gods," she breathed. "I'm awful. I didn't even think about...."

When he opened his eyes and spoke again, his voice was steady. "Last time, I was terrified I was going to lose you and the baby. I can't do that again, Juska."

"Okay." She pushed his hair away from his forehead. "Okay. This is why I asked. We don't need a bigger family than we already have. I just wanted to make sure we knew whether or not we needed to plan for another."

He took a deep breath. "Thank you."

"You make a very good father, Fandelmar. But no matter how amazing you are with a baby in your arms, I'm not going to risk hurting you to see it again." This made him smile at her, and she grinned as the tight feeling in her chest began to ease.

"I think of your sister as a daughter, as strange as that is to articulate."

"I do, too. I was just about the age she is now when she was born. I took care of her just like she's doing with Janne. She'd kill me if she ever knew I felt that way about her, though."

Fandelmar laughed quietly, and she put her hand on his chest to feel. "We have a good family."

"We do," she agreed. "Now turn over. I feel guilty. Let me rub your back."

"I won't fight you on that. We played Pony a bit too hard yesterday." 

Once he was on his stomach, Juska ran her hands along the defined muscles of his shoulders and back, stealing a moment to shamelessly enjoy how he felt under her hands before getting to work. She rubbed tension from his muscles until they both felt better, and then slipped back under the covers. Fandelmar was asleep within minutes of closing his eyes, but Juska needed a little longer to drift off. It was hard to sleep when she felt like an idiot, but eventually, exhaustion won over guilt.


	3. Fandelmar

Fandelmar woke to the sound of the front door closing. A glance out from under the arm covering his eyes confirmed that the light was right for Juska to be headed off to work. He let his eyes close again and listened to the peace of the house. Janne and Emilie were still asleep. The air felt lived in, and calm, and he took a moment to enjoy it. He had another day until Juska's first shipment of ingredients from Solitude would be near enough for him to need to escort it in. Today, he would spend time with the girls, and clean out the pots Juska had used last night. His plan was to lie in bed and relax until he heard Janne wake, but then he heard the front door open again.

That wasn't right. He was on his feet and moving for the main room almost as soon as the sound had registered. His worry that the Thieves Guild had let themselves in was quickly quashed by the sight of Juska. A new worry emerged, however, when he realized that she was on the verge of tears.

"Juska?" Fandelmar crossed the room and reached for her.

She tried to speak, made a frustrated noise, and then tried again. "The stall. They fucking broke the market stall."

Fandelmar felt his jaw clench. "Let me get dressed. I can fix it, or build a new one."

Juska wiped at her eyes. "This is so fucking stupid."

"I know." He rested his forehead against hers briefly, and then turned for the bedroom to collect his shirt and shoes. He didn't bother with washing up or brushing his hair, but he did take a moment to knock softly on Emilie's door.

"What?" came a cranky voice.

"We're stepping out for a moment, Emi. Could you listen for Janne?"

Her voice immediately sounded more alert. "Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?"

"Lock the door behind us, please. We'll be right back."

"Okay...."

When he returned to the main room, he found Juska slipping her boot knife into place. Her cheeks were blotchy, but she now seemed more angry than upset. He heard Emilie's door open as he moved to Juska's side. Her sister looked her over, and frowned deeply.

"Jus, what's wrong? Why aren't you at work?"

"We'll talk in a sec, Emi. We'll be right back."

Emilie didn't look happy, but she did walk over to latch the door behind them. Fandelmar slipped his hand to the small of Juska's back, and the two of them walked to the market. As soon as they entered the square, he could see the damage. Someone very dedicated had reduced Juska's stall to firewood. When they were in front of it, he exhaled deeply and looked around for Sapphire or the red-headed man. Neither were anywhere in sight.

"I'll get to work and build you a new one, Juska."

She leaned against his side and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I probably should have expected this. How am I going to sell anything today?"

"Sell from the house. I'll send everyone your way while I'm working."

Juska rubbed at her forehead. "Okay. I guess I can work on adding to my stock while I'm at home. Catch up on some things I've been meaning to have for sale."

He smiled down at her. "You will have more free time tonight."

She laughed a little. "What a silver lining." 

Fandelmar bent to collect as many of the broken planks as he could. Juska followed his lead and did the same. "We'll pile it all in front of the house for now. Whatever I can't salvage, we'll use for firewood."

They spent the next few minutes walking the remains of the stall to their front yard. Once they were done, Juska had Emilie let her into the house. Fandelmar could hear her explaining what had happened through the open front door as he sorted planks. Some of them could be shortened and used for the counter, or the roof. He could see the imprints of a heavy boot on several pieces. Heavy, but relatively small. 

Fandelmar sighed through his nose. Sapphire, most likely. He stared down at the small pile of salvageable wood. There was nothing stopping her, or someone else from the guild, from doing this again if he rebuilt the stall. But, there was nothing else that he could do in this situation. They needed to show that they weren't susceptible to bullying. He ignored the sense of unease welling up within him. The Thieves Guild wouldn't kill. Marcurio had assured him of that much after their initial refusal to pay for ‘protection.’ That already made his family far safer than they had been in Windhelm. 

It took most of the morning to locate replacement wood and bring it to the market. He hauled out his woodworking tools, set up his sawhorses, and began working in the middle of the crowd of shoppers. They parted around him, leaving him a small circle to work in. Periodically, someone would ask where Juska was, and he would point them toward the house. Every single one of them left in the direction he indicated, which was heartening. Juska was amassing loyal customers, slowly but surely.

Vulwulf Snow-Shod's appearance was a low point. He'd been absolutely vicious to Fandelmar ever since he'd arrived in Riften. Today, the Nord took the opportunity to spit on him as he walked through the crowd toward the shrine to Talos his wife tended. 

"Thalmor trash," he muttered.

Fandelmar met Vulwulf's eyes, shook his head, and then resumed working. Every village had its idiot.

By late afternoon, Fandelmar was wishing that Juska's brother Sven were around to help. Progress was slow on his own. He had skipped breakfast and lunch, but it was important to get the stall rebuilt so that Juska could return to business as usual tomorrow. The base, counter, and the cabinets were done, but he still needed to get the roof situated. It rained often in Riften, and he wanted his wife out of the elements. 

All the while, he kept an eye out for Sapphire or the red-headed man, but they remained conspicuously absent. He had to admit, they had a flair for drama. He was in the middle of chuckling to himself about it when he noticed a small symbol etched into one of the pieces of wood he'd salvaged. Fandelmar paused and ran his thumb over it, realizing that the mark increased the uneasy feeling he had been trying to ignore. After another inspection, he sanded it away and nailed the board into its new place. 

Soon the sun was setting, and the market was shutting down. Fandelmar was nearly done, and fought against the fading light to finish. When the market had almost completely emptied, save for people heading toward the inn, he nearly left and got Marcurio. In the end, he decided to just focus on the remaining work the stall needed. It was completely dark out by the time he began packing his tools away to head home. The stall stood beside him, sturdy, finished, and looking nicer than any of its near neighbors by virtue of having newer lumber. 

And, with any luck, it would still be there come morning. He would think of something.

Fandelmar was just about to heft a sawhorse over each shoulder when a small noise made him focus on the market. It had just been a boot on the wood of the canal bridge, but it hadn't sounded like someone walking home. No, it had sounded like someone  _ sneaking _ . He looked around him, then bent to take his hammer into his hands. The Thieves Guild might not kill, but he suspected they wouldn't be against roughing him up.

What came to the edge of the shadows as he stood straight again wasn't Sapphire, or any other person he recognized. If it even was a person. All he could see were softly glowing eyes, and the faint flicker of a spell in hand, ready to cast. 

"I can see you," he said.

The market devolved into chaos. Suddenly he was surrounded on three sides by creatures in dark leather, all with glowing eyes. The closest one raised her hand to cast, and Fandelmar cracked her in the shoulder with his hammer before stretching out his hand and sending a gout of flame to the one coming up fast on his left. Both screamed, but kept advancing. 

He needed backup. Fandelmar pushed past the one in front of him, feeling a dagger slice through his shirt, and ran for the inn. He could hear the sound of boots following close behind him. He slammed hard on the inn’s door before whirling and attacking again.

The one he'd set alight crumpled in front of him, an arrow sticking out from the back of his head. Fandelmar glanced up and saw two members of the city guard closing in. But the thing with the knife had come after him, too, and soon had his attention completely. He swung his hammer again, hitting his attacker hard in the cheek, and heard the jaw fracture. Something splashed across his face, but it felt too cold to be blood. He pulled back to swing again, aiming to hit it in the head this time—

A haze of red surrounded him, and he felt himself go weak. The hammer nearly fell from his fingers, but he forced himself to keep his grip and kick. As quickly as it had come, the spell faded. The caster was dead. He was no longer surrounded, because someone had come out of the inn. He saw short, dark hair and an arc of lightning out of the corner of his eye. Marcurio had heard him.

The remaining attacker had little chance now. Soon, it fell to a combination of arrows and fire, and quiet descended upon the market once more. 

Fandelmar wiped at his face before noticing the pain in his side. He felt at his shirt, and found it warm and wet with blood.

"Marcurio? I could use assistance."

The Imperial moved quickly to his side and inspected the wound. "It's not too bad, considering you're out of armor and unarmed." His side grew warm as Marcurio healed it.

"I was armed, after a fashion." Fandelmar held up his hammer. It was covered in thick, viscous fluid.

Marcurio shook his head and chuckled before the clanking of armor distracted them both. The guards were inspecting the fallen. Marcurio toed the closest body with a boot. A nearby guard cursed as its face came into clearer sight. 

Marcurio frowned. “If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a vampire.” 

Fandelmar crouched down to inspect the corpse. It looked like an Altmer man, mostly, but when he gingerly lifted its upper lip, he found sharply pointed teeth. "You are correct." His finger pulled away covered in a thin film of dust.

His friend sniffed. "They must have a nest nearby." 

"With any luck, this was all of them." Fandelmar felt the last of his adrenaline fade, and began a tired walk back to Juska's stall to collect his things. "Thank you for the assistance," he said to Marcurio as he followed, "both today and yesterday."

Marcurio grabbed one of the sawhorses. "Let’s get you home. You need a bath."

"That I do."

With Marcurio's help, he was able to return his tools to the house in a single trip. Juska was beside herself when he walked through the door. She had heard the fighting, and had been torn between going to see what was going on and staying to protect the girls. Janne shrieked in glee and ran for him when he came into view, but Emilie saw the state he was in and scooped her up. Emilie's eyes were wide, and Fandelmar frowned. He hated coming home bloody.

"I need a bath," he told his daughter. "I'll play when I'm clean."

"Okay...."

Auri-El, but his child knew how to pout. He was too tired to decide which of them had passed that particular trait on to her. He slogged toward the bedroom, with Juska falling into step behind him, after another promise that he would be right back. He'd had the foresight to fill the tub during his chores yesterday, thankfully, so was able to heat the water to a tolerable temperature with his magic while Juska groused over his side. 

"I want a look at it after the blood's off."

"Juska, it is healed." Fandelmar began removing his dirty clothing and setting it aside to clean later. "All that needs mending is my shirt."

She sighed as she settled in next to the tub. "Was it the guild?"

He stepped into the tub and lowered himself down. "Vampires."

Her eyes went wide. "No shit. I've never even seen a vampire. That I know of, anyway."

"Neither had I." He ducked under the water to wet his hair. When he surfaced, Juska was offering out a bar of soap, and he smelled sage. "Thank you."

Juska rose again and paced nervously as he began scrubbing himself clean. The water around him quickly turned pink, which did little to make him feel cleaner. 

"None of them bit you, right?"

He shook his head.

"Okay. But tell me if you start feeling anything strange. Ruvene and I did cover treating the vampire sickness. She seemed to think spit or blood made you catch it. I'll have to look at my notes, but I can make a potion for it."

"There is no need to pace, Juska. I'm fine."

She took a deep breath and walked back over to the tub, before falling to her knees and holding her hand out for the soap. "Let me wash your hair."

He gave her the soap without protest. Soon, her fingers were in his hair, moving through it in practiced motions. As ever, it was a soothing feeling, and he felt some of the tension in his back begin to relax. She even used the pitcher by their basin to rinse his hair so that he didn't have to submerge himself further in the pink mess around him. Fandelmar was still occasionally stunned by how well she knew him.

"Thank you, Juska."

She squeezed his shoulder. "Get dry, daddy. You promised playtime."

He groaned and rose. "I did." Juska handed him a towel, and he began drying himself off. "My back is not going to like me tomorrow after all I've done to it today."

"How's the stall, by the way?"

He smiled. "Finished."

"Good. Maybe the vampire attack will keep those assholes away from it overnight."

Fandelmar looked thoughtfully down at his hands. "I might remember a spell I can cast that would trigger on anyone who touched it. I would need to dispel it for you every day, but it would be better than nothing. I'll practice on a tree in the morning." Better a tree exploding than all his hard work. 

"Thank you." Juska sounded relieved. 

He dressed, then, and stepped out into the main room to make good on his promise to his daughter. While they were playing, Juska took Emilie aside and quietly filled her in on what had happened. Her sister went to bed soon after. Fandelmar couldn't blame her. Today had been full of unpleasantness. 

Juska put Janne to bed herself so that Fandelmar could finally eat. He helped himself to bread, cheese, and an apple instead of cooking. By the time he was done with his meal, such as it was, exhaustion had seeped through him. Juska must have been able to see it on his face, because she shepherded him off to bed almost immediately. 

As she pressed up against his back and draped an arm over his waist, she spoke. "Please start carrying a weapon with you. I don't think it's safe for either of us to be unarmed in Riften right now."

He ran his hand along her arm. "I will."

Sleep came, then, deep and heavy, and he allowed it to take him under without a fight. It had been a long day.


	4. Juska

Juska woke to damp sheets and faint sunlight, and spent several moments of confusion trying to become alert enough to figure out why this seemed wrong. Dry. Sheets were supposed to be dry. So why were they clammy and clinging to her side? 

She sat up and reached for Fandelmar. As soon as her hand touched his shoulder, she realized what was wrong. She didn't even need to feel his forehead to realize that he had a fever.

"Fandelmar." She lightly shook his shoulder, carefully pulling him onto his back so that she could see his face.

He squinted at the predawn light coming from the window, then groaned. "I don't feel well."

"No shit. Let me see your eyes." She lifted a lid, felt at his forehead, and cursed. "You 'don't feel well'? You are fucking on the verge of death, Fandelmar!" She heard how high-pitched her voice was getting, and forced herself to take a breath.

He opened his heavily bloodshot eyes for a moment, but then they closed as he groaned again. She remembered how much blood he'd come home covered in last night, and felt her chest constrict.

_ Yeah. Fuck this. _ Juska scrambled out of bed and nearly ran for the bookshelf where she kept her notes from her time with Ruvene. If this was what she thought it was, she only had a limited time range to treat it. She just couldn't remember  _ how _ long, exactly. Flipping through the pages of what she hoped was the right notebook, she moved to the kitchen, running into a chair or two as she went. Gods. She was going to wake Janne.

"Blessed Talos, Ysmir, mortal-born god of the Nine Divines, please grant me your attention," she began as she grabbed for all her alchemy tools and set them before her. The prayer she'd learned from her father spilled from her lips as she continued flipping through her notes.

There! She ran her finger down the ingredients list as she continued praying. Fuck. Ruvene seemed to think vampire dust was the most important ingredient in the draught that would treat vampire sickness, and she didn't have any. She'd have to make a more general tonic, and then pray it worked. She methodically collected the reagents she had on hand and began to brew. Her instinct was to keep rushing, but Ruvene had taught her that alchemy had one pace, and to follow it if she wanted her potions to actually do something.

Janne began to cry a few minutes into her work. Juska bit at her lip, and called for her sister. "Emilie? Could you get her please?" Her voice still sounded oddly shrill.

Her sister left her room to collect her niece without complaint, which meant that she could sense something was wrong. Emilie appeared, clutching a red-faced Janne, less than a minute later. "Jus? What's wrong?"

Juska turned back to the potion. "Fandelmar is sick. He's got that vampire shit, I think."

Emilie's eyes went wide. "Can you...?"

"Yeah. Yeah," she said, lighting a flame under the mixture with a punk she'd pulled from the fireplace. "Yeah."

"That's too many ‘yeahs.’ What can I do?"

"Just take care of Janne until I know if this worked, okay?"

Emilie nodded and drifted away, trying to soothe Janne, who could definitely feel the tension. Her poor girl was so sensitive. Juska tasted blood and realized that she'd chewed too hard on her lower lip. She wiped it with her shirt and kept working. 

Waiting for the potion to cool was the hardest part. She spent the time it needed in their room, wiping Fandelmar down with a damp cloth. He barely even realized what she was doing because his fever was so high.

"Emi?" She kept her voice soft, but her sister had been pacing with Janne in the hall, and popped her head in almost as soon as Juska had spoken.

"Yeah?" 

"Can you go get Maramal or Dinya?" 

Her sister's brow furrowed. "Yeah. I'll get dressed."

Fandelmar's eyes opened, though he was staring somewhere behind her. "Not alone," he managed. "There might be...." His eyes lidded heavily again, and he trailed off.

Juska bit at her lip without thinking and felt pain. "Take my knife. It's by the door."

"...I don't know how to use a knife, Jus."

"I know. It’s for show. Hurry there and right back, no stopping, okay?" 

Emilie nodded and disappeared to get dressed. What felt like seconds later, Juska heard the front door unlatch, then softly open and close. Juska set the cloth aside and rose to check on the potion. When she held the bottle to her wrist, she found it was cool enough to handle. She ran into another chair on the way back to their bedroom.

"Fandelmar." She smoothed his hair back from his forehead. "I need you to drink something, love."

His eyes opened again, still glossy and strangely sightless, but he nodded. Juska put an arm behind his shoulders and lifted him from the bed, then began pouring the potion into his mouth. He drank it slowly, and her mind wandered back to doing this for him in the woods of the Reach when they’d first met. Then, she hadn't cared too much if he lived or died, but now? She blinked back tears and realized that she was quietly praying as she gave him his medicine.

Fandelmar finished the last few sips with a sputter, and grew heavy against her arm. She leaned him back and set the bottle aside, then kept praying. She recited every prayer she knew as she waited for the front door to open. When it finally did, she nearly sobbed in relief. 

"Jus? Dinya's here!"

"Come in here, please," she called.

The Dark Elf priestess soon appeared in the door. "Your sister says that your husband is sick." Her eyes cut to the bed. "Oh, Mara's grace."

"Could you pray for him?" Juska wiped at her eyes. "It's the vampire sickness. I gave him medicine, but I just, I just want to make sure." She looked past Dinya to see her sister standing in the hall, knife at her hip, and Janne held tightly in her arms. "Don't let her see him, Emi. She's too little to understand."

Her sister nodded and quietly left for the living room. 

Dinya stood beside Fandelmar and held her arms out over him. As the priestess prayed, Juska squeezed one of Fandelmar's hands in hers. His fingers remained limp, like he didn't even realize she was holding them. Her lip stung again, and she realized she was biting it again. She licked it instead, and tried to ignore the metallic taste of her blood.  _ Nobody _ was going to be tasting blood in her house, not if she could help it.

After a few minutes of steady prayer from the priestess, Fandelmar suddenly gasped. His fingers gripped her steadily, and his eyes opened wide. She leaned in to look at him, and found that he was looking back. His eyes were still glassy and red, but.... 

She felt at his forehead with her free hand. "His fever is coming down."

The Dark Elf lowered her hands. "Mara has heard us. She will care for him."

"Juska?" Fandelmar licked at his lips. "Could I have some water?"

"I'll get you some right now." Juska kissed his hand before rising to go to the kitchen. When Dinya followed after, she paused at the mantle, where she'd rested the cash box the night before. She pulled out ten gold and offered it out. "Here. A donation, in thanks."

Dinya took it and smiled at her. "You're very kind. Don't worry about Fandelmar. Mara will look after her children."

Her return smile felt a little forced, but if the priestess noticed, she didn't show it. She let herself out, and Juska poured a cup of water for Fandelmar.

"I'm going to start breakfast, okay Jus?" Emilie pointed at Janne, who was playing with a wooden horse Sven had made. Gods. It was past her mealtime.

Juska thanked her before heading back for the bedroom to give Fandelmar his water. Even in the few minutes she'd been gone, his condition seemed to have improved. Whether from the prayer, the potion, or a combination of both, he was able to look at her and offer a smile when she sat on the bed beside him.

"Can you sit up?"

"I believe so." His arms shook as he lifted himself from the bed, and she had to help scoot him back toward the headboard for support, but soon he was upright. She offered the cup out gingerly, and kept her grip firm in case he dropped it. But it made it to his mouth, and he began swallowing loudly. 

"What happened?" he asked as he handed it back over.

"Vampire sickness, I think."

He grimaced. "I hope the guards are well. And Marcurio."

"You were  _ covered _ in blood last night, Fandelmar."

"I was fighting with a hammer." He wiped at his eyes and looked around. "My vision is clearing. Everything was... red."

"I have two more bottles. I'm kicking myself for not having anything already prepared."

Fandelmar frowned at her lip. "Juska. How often does the average Riften citizen encounter vampires? There was no need."

"But you could have—"

Fandelmar’s fingers brushed against her lower lip, and she felt the tingle of healing magic knit the wound closed. "Juska." He took a ragged breath. "I know you tend to take on burdens that aren't yours, but this was not your fault."

"...Okay." She smiled at him instead of licking at her lip. "Lie down and get some rest. I scared Emi shitless, and I need to go take care of her now that you're not at death's door."

Fandelmar sank back into the covers without complaint, which was unsurprising, since he looked too tired to even speak. She pulled the top blanket, which was still damp, off the bed, and covered him with a fresh one. It wasn't perfect, but it would do until he was up and around again. 

****

It took two days for Fandelmar to be himself again. Juska spent the time keeping the house going and running her stall at the market, and quickly became aware of just how much her husband did for her. At night, when her sister and daughter were finally asleep, she lay beside him in bed, digging through her notes while he read or slept. According to Ruvene, if he'd had a potion within the first few hours of exposure, he wouldn't have gotten sick at all. The longer the lag time between infection and treatment, the harder it was to recover. And then, after three days, recovery was impossible. She set the other two bottles of potion in a prominent place in the kitchen, and prayed that her family would never need them. But at least they were there now, just in case. Juska never wanted to feel that unprepared ever again.

They heard through Marcurio that the vampire attack had happened late enough at night that almost nobody had been out, and Fandelmar had been the only one who had gotten sick. It could have been much worse, said his drinking fellows at the inn. Juska found it hard to agree; that empty look in Fandelmar’s eyes kept her awake more often than her daughter did during his recovery.

Fandelmar had been healthy for almost a week, and things in their house were returning to normal. Well, something similar to normal. Juska started keeping her earnings in a small safe they bought from Bersi, and left her cash box only full enough to run her business. Fandelmar started covering her stall with fire runes at night so that the Thieves Guild wouldn't smash it again, commenting that he would rather it burn than just be broken by one of their lackeys. He also installed a thick plank of wood on their front door that had to be lifted out of the way to unlock and open it every morning. The sight of it made Emilie's lips go thin at first, but it made them all sleep better at night. Anyone getting through that door was going to make a lot of noise. Sapphire took to crossing her arms and smiling, or at least baring her teeth, when they ran into one another. It was a face that said, "You win, for now."

Still, Fandelmar walked her to her stall every morning, and then walked her home every night. The day he left to escort their ingredient shipment in, Marcurio took his place as her guard. Juska had repeatedly told him that she'd be okay for one day, and he had just reminded her of her recent encounter with Sapphire outside the inn.

Thankfully, business recovered from the dual bumpiness of her stall being destroyed, and then Fandelmar getting sick. There had been a small rush on health potions after the attack, and one of the guard captains came by, asking for a large order from the keep. Juska was up half the night filling the order, but she wasn't about to say no to something that might help the jarl decide that they could own property. Emilie had actually stayed up with her for part of that night, and Juska had taught her the basic uses of all her instruments. Her sister had offered to help, but it hadn't been the right order for her to learn on. It was a good sign, though; if her sister were interested, her detail-oriented mind would make her an excellent alchemist. Plus, Juska would have help in the future, when more orders came in from the city guard. Or,  _ hopefully _ came in. She'd chewed at her lip while the crates were being taken away, because an irrational worry that she'd done something wrong with the batch had bubbled up from her middle. Juska hadn't messed up a healing potion in years. Not after all the practice she and Fandelmar had provided her back in Windhelm. 

The sun was beginning to set, and Juska was packing up her stall and waiting for Fandelmar, watching the rapidly thinning crowd. Most of them were making for the Bee and Barb for drinks and dinner, as usual. Juska expected to see Fandelmar come from that direction, since he almost always took a few minutes to sit with Marcurio in the late afternoon. He was running a little late, but she knew that he would rather she wait in public than walk home alone. So once her crate was packed, she leaned against her stall and took a moment to enjoy the coming dusk.

The sun had just dipped behind the wall when the screaming started. Juska had her knife in her hand and had whirled toward the source of the sound before her mind had finished processing she'd heard something. At the edge of the market, in the shadows of the wall, she could see townsfolk surrounded by figures in armor, and a sickly red light coming from all of them. She remembered what Fandelmar had said about the spell that had been cast on him when he was attacked, and took off at a run toward the group.

"Guards!" She shouted. "Vampires!"

One or two of the other merchants took off after her, but most people scattered for the closest buildings. She couldn't blame them, but she also couldn't let someone  _ die _ right in sight of her. Talos' tits, she needed to start carrying her bow with her in town!

The vampires were distracted enough with whatever they were doing to the people they had surrounded that she was able to run up behind one and sink her dagger deep into the side of its neck. It shrieked, which made the other two turn their heads and spot her. Shit. She fell into a defensive position, knife ready to stab again, as the first vampire crumpled to her feet. An arrow hissed past her ear and winged one of the others still standing, causing it to shift its attention to the guards fast coming up around her. It gave her enough time to spare a glance at the people who had been attacked: one was on the ground, groaning, and the other was running away. There was no time to look for the third, because the remaining vampire was doing something with its hands, and she was worried that meant magic.

Gods, the way the spell felt when it hit her was... it was like the feeling she got after a hard run, when it seemed like she'd fall over from exhaustion. She hadn't felt anything like it since she and Fandelmar had fled the Reach. The fact that she  _ had _ felt it before, though, gave her the presence of mind to grab her dagger tighter and lunge forward with a shriek. She got the vampire through the palm, and was about to kick it away and try again when someone tall appeared behind it and sank a dagger into its kidney. Juska yanked her dagger free as it went down, and came eye-to-eye with the red-headed snake oil salesman.

"Shouldn't you be seeing to your family, lass? The vampires are all over the city."

_ Fuck. _ Juska turned and bolted without even bothering to reply. She saw a couple more groups of vampires and guards skirmishing as she made for the house, but didn't get tangled up in any of the fights. When she reached their little house, she tried the handle and found that the door was firmly barred.  _ Good girl, Emilie _ .

"Go away!" her sister yelled. Faintly, she could hear Janne crying.

"It's me, Emi! Are you two okay?"

"Thank Talos! The noise is scaring Janne, but we're okay!"

"Open the door! I need my bow."

There was the sound of wood scraping across wood, and then a click as her sister unlatched the door and peered out. Juska slipped in and grabbed her bow from its place beside the door, slung her quiver over her back, and began hurriedly restringing her weapon. 

"Are you going back out?"

Juska nodded. "I'm going to keep the street clear. Bar the door behind me."

"Okay." Her sister's voice was small. Juska turned for the door instead of looking down at her.

"I'll be right back."

She stepped back out onto the street, and heard her sister obey her orders to block the door. She kept her bow at the ready, locking her eyes in the direction of the marketplace, but several minutes passed without anyone else coming into view. When she finally saw motion, she raised her bow reflexively, then immediately dropped it as she recognized her husband's tall frame and golden skin.

"Juska!" He closed the distance between them rapidly, then hauled her against his chest. "Auri-El, I couldn't find you. I thought...."

"I wanted to make sure the kids were okay." She pulled away and began looking him over, only to smile when she realized that he was doing the same. "Are we both blood-free?"

He nodded. "I believe so. We should go back for your things. The fighting seems to have stopped."

"My thi—" Juska smacked her forehead with her palm. "Right. Can't hold a crate when you've pulled a dagger." They began walking for the market, keeping an ear out for the sounds of more vampires. Thankfully, they made it back to the market without issue. Juska frowned when she saw a fallen guard by the inn. "Fuck."

"Unfortunately, Marcurio is out on a job, and I wasn't armed. There weren't enough people here."

"I don't think this one is on you," she replied. Her eyes cut to her stall, and she broke into a run. "Son of a bitch!"

"Juska!" Fandelmar bolted after her, and stood by her side just in time to watch her kick her stall and curse. 

It was completely empty. Her crate, which had her excess stock  _ and _ her cash box, was nowhere in sight. "That  _ son _ of a  _ bitch!" _

His hand slid down her back. "Who?"

"The red-head. The thief. He fucking told me there was fighting all over the city and to go check on the girls. I should have—  _ Gods! _ " She kicked at the stall again, hard enough to hurt her foot, and then stood, fuming in place.

Fandelmar sighed. "How much?"

"Mostly healing potions, and the day's earnings, plus what I keep to make change." 

"I'll talk to him."

"Oh, no. No, no.  _ I'm _ talking to him."

Fandelmar's eyebrows moved toward his hairline. "You're going to hit him."

"Uh, yeah. I think I'm justified."

He chuckled. "We'll go together. I wouldn't put it past any of his lot to hit back."

"Nords pummel each other regardless of gender, sweetheart."

"Then I am certainly coming along." He was no longer chuckling.

Juska ran her hands through her hair and glanced around the market. When her gaze fell upon a nearby vampire corpse, she moved closer to inspect it. "Ruvene said these guys turn into dust. It's a good ingredient for cure disease potions." She knelt and prodded at it. "But it still seems— oh, okay. That's disgusting." Her hand came away covered in powder, and the corpse below her began to crumble in on itself. "Give me your shirt? I have the worst feeling I'm going to need a lot of this."

Fandelmar sighed, but pulled it over his head and offered it out all the same. Juska started scooping up as much of the mess as possible, then tied the bundle off and looked up at her now-shivering husband. "Let's get you home. Emilie is beside herself."

His hand slid to the small of her back, and they wove their way back through the now-dark streets to their home. Emilie let them in, and Juska immediately excused her from all baby and household duties. She and Fandelmar cleaned up and changed their clothes, and then he cooked them all dinner while she took care of Janne. Emilie was quiet during dinner and spent the evening in her room, but Juska let her be. Nobody in her family handled feeling afraid very well. If it had been her, she would have wanted her space, and so she gave it to her sister. 

She knew that she should spend the night replacing some of her stolen stock, but Janne was exhausted. So was Fandelmar. So was she. So the three of them rested on the floor, looking at books and playing with toys, until it was time for their daughter to sleep. By the time Fandelmar had her down, Juska was curled up in bed. He joined her soon after, pulling her close against his chest without a word, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

They woke the next morning to a pounding on the door, which had Juska rolling for her knives before she was even fully awake. Fandelmar took his sword and went to the door while she got dressed. She could hear muffled voices, and then the sound of the bar being pulled away. She listened for Janne, and was happy to hear that the noise didn't seem to have roused her. It was a small miracle.

Fandelmar appeared in the door and began looking for a clean shirt. "It's the priestess and the captain of the guard. They want to speak with you."

Juska smoothed her hair and sidled into the main room. Dinya Balu smiled at her, but the tall woman standing next to her in guard armor did not. 

"Hey," she said. "What can I do for you two?"

"We have several sick guards, and a few townspeople, too. Dinya says that you know how to make medicine for the vampire sickness. Your husband got sick after the first attack, but now he's better, right?"

Juska nodded. "I do. He is."

"We need thirteen potions as soon as possible. We asked at Elgrim's, but Hafjorg says they're out of half the ingredients they'd need. Apparently all Elgrim is stocking these days are poisons."

"I can get them to you by this afternoon."

"Can you make more, in case this happens again?"

She chewed on her lip. "Assuming I have access to vampire corpses, I can make as many as you need."

The guard wrinkled her nose. "We threw out the armor, but what's left of them is still basically all over town."

Great. "I'll have my husband collect what he can."

"The jarl is willing to pay market price for every bottle."

Juska kept her eyes from widening. "Thank you. Where should I deliver them?"

"Bring them to me, child," Dinya said. "Maramal and I are caring for the sick at the temple. "

"Okay. I'll get started right now."

The guard removed a heavy purse from her belt. "Here is payment up-front, for the currently ill. Bring any extra you make to the keep, and one of the guards will find me to discuss additional payment."

"Thank you." She hefted the purse in her hands, and wondered if she had ever held this much money at once before, while she smiled and said her goodbyes. When they had left and she had shut the door, she turned to find that Fandelmar had been quietly watching from the living room.

He gave her a small smile. "Congratulations. I need to put on a different shirt if I am to be sent on that errand, though."

"Sorry."

Fandelmar walked over, slipped his hands around her waist, and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Don't apologize. I'm proud of you."

"Can I help?"

They both turned and found Emilie peeking out of her room. Fandelmar looked down at Juska. When she nodded, Emilie held up a finger and disappeared into her room. Fandelmar ducked into their room to change, and the two of them met up in the kitchen, looking dressed to take on a disgusting task. Juska handed them a bucket and a cloth to cover it. Fandelmar looked thoughtfully at their broom before taking it, as well.

"We'll be right back." With that, he held the door for Emilie, and the two of them left.

Juska took a quick inventory of her stock, then rolled up her sleeves. She could make twenty potions with what she had on hand, if she was careful. It was time to get creative.


	5. Fandelmar

Fandelmar began his day with a recently-developed routine: when Juska rose with the sun, he rose with her, and then followed her to the market to undo the protective spell he'd placed on her market stall the night before. This morning, he’d nearly had to run to follow her. Not only was she not burdened down by her usual amount of merchandise, but the high color in her cheeks warned that a certain red-headed merchant was about to get slaughtered, at least metaphorically. There were days when Juska's protective anger was a combination of endearing and amusing, but today it stemmed from pure rage, and so instead was vaguely terrifying. He kept close to her, partly to protect her, but mainly to protect others _from_ her. She had her bow with her, and at least one knife on her person. He knew her temper well enough for this to make him wary.

When they reached her part of the market, they both paused as they saw something resting atop the stall. Juska stepped close to inspect it, and then began cursing loudly.

"It's the fucking cash box."

He didn't need to ask if it was empty. "Is the lock broken?"

There was a metallic creak as she lifted the lid. "...No. Small favors, I guess."

He rested one hand on her back and dispelled the fire sigil with his other. "I can't decide if this is a message or not."

She began putting her wares out on display for the day. "No idea. Those fuckers stole half my soaps, did you know that?"

"At least the local crime ring will be a clean one. Perhaps their suddenly improved smell will expose them."

Juska side-eyed him. "I'm not in the mood for humor right now."

Fandelmar looked around, noting the other merchants coming in to set up for the day. "Try to be calm, Juska. This is a very public place, and we need to be liked."

Her hands white-knuckled on the counter-top, but he heard her take a deep breath. She had her back to the main market as she asked, "Do you see him yet?"

"Not yet. Keeping consistent hours seems like it would be detrimental to his health, considering his customers would have an easier time finding him later."

"He has people come back for _more!_ It absolutely boggles my mind." Juska stepped back and regarded her stall with a critical eye. 

"The world is brimming with foolish people." As if on cue, the red-headed Nord sauntered into the market. "Speaking of fools." Juska whirled, cheeks coloring a shade darker, and Fandelmar caught her shoulder. "Take a deep breath before we walk over there."

She side-eyed him again, but did as he asked before taking his hand and practically dragging him toward the Nord's stall. "You _son of a bitch!"_ she spat as soon as he noticed them coming.

The Nord raised an eyebrow. "I'd prefer to keep my mother out of whatever this is, lass."

Juska pointed a finger at him. "You robbed my stall! You told me that there were vampires everywhere to make me leave, and then you fucking stole from me!"

Fandelmar watched his face, but his expression remained almost uncannily pleasant. "I told you that there were vampires everywhere because that was the truth."

"And my things just, what, walked off?"

He gave her a friendly smile. "This isn't a town to leave belongings out in. There are thieves about, lass."

"I know. I'm looking right at one." This time, she jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

At her touch, the man’s back straightened. He now stood even with Fandelmar, which happened so rarely that he nearly took a step back. The Nord’s face remained open, but something in his eyes went hard. He no longer looked anything like a shopkeeper should. 

"We'd do better to use our words to resolve this."

Fandelmar slipped his hand to the small of Juska's back. The longer he looked at the Nord, the more concerned he became about their chances in a fight with him. He had never noticed how broad the man's shoulders were. The last thing he wanted was for Juska to take a hit from someone like him. 

Juska stiffened for a moment, then sighed and sagged back against Fandelmar’s hand. "I know you work with Sapphire, and I know you're the reason a third of my stock is gone. You can lie to my face all you like, but I _will_ be taking this to the Jarl if you all keep harassing me."

"You do what you want, lass. I was genuinely concerned for your family."

"Let us worry about ourselves," Fandelmar interjected. The Nord's green eyes met his for the first time in the entire conversation, and he felt a faint ripple of anger at the man's clear dismissal of him. "We're very good at looking after each other."

The Nord shrugged. "I'll remember that during the next attack. Now if you two will excuse me, I have a business to run."

"One of us does, at least," Juska muttered as she turned away.

They walked the short distance to Juska's stall in silence, though Fandelmar kept his hand on her back. He could feel the tension radiating out from her. "Juska."

She stepped away from him and took her place behind the stall. "I'm okay. Angry, but okay."

"Would you like me to stay with you for a few minutes?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather you were at home with Janne. I promise I won't do anything stupid. After the past few days, I could use a little normalcy."

Fandelmar understood that. He leaned over the counter, careful not to disturb any bottles, and gave her a soft kiss. "I love you."

This made Juska smile, and she briefly ran a hand over his hair. "It's mutual. You're wonderful."

Reluctantly, he left the market. His instinct was to remain, just in case, but he knew both that his wife could take care of herself, and that their daughter needed his time. Still, he took a brief detour as he was crossing by the inn to see if Marcurio was back in town. To Fandelmar's relief, the Imperial was up and in his usual spot, enjoying his breakfast. When he noticed Fandelmar approaching, he grinned. 

"Well, look what the horker dragged in."

"Do I look that tired?"

Marcurio's grin faded. "I heard there was another vampire attack while I was gone. Did you get mixed up in that one, too?"

"Of course. Will you be around after lunch? I could use a friendly chat."

The Imperial nodded. "For you? Always. Unless someone shakes a coinpurse in my general direction, anyway."

He felt himself smile. "I know where I stand, at least. In a few hours, then."

Marcurio waved and took a bite of an unidentifiable strip of meat, and Fandelmar let himself back outside to continue his walk home. As much as he loved Janne and Emilie, it was still nice to just sit and speak with an outside adult sometimes. Especially when he was so worried. These past few days, it had felt like he was burdening Juska when he worried. She had so much on her plate already, what with the trouble with the Thieves Guild, and the city putting in orders for large quantities of potions. As well as him falling ill, of course. She wouldn't admit to him how sick he had been, but her bloodied lip had spoken the truth clearly when he had come out of his fever delirium. Yet again, he owed his life to her healing abilities. Thankfully, the time when it felt like that put him in her debt had long passed.

Fandelmar took a moment at their door to breathe and shove his worries aside. It wasn't fair to the girls if he was melancholy and distracted while he was with them. Janne screamed in glee and stumble-ran for him when he opened the door, and that was enough to make him forget the parts of Riften that were beyond their home almost immediately.

“ _Dad! Dad!_ ” she cried in Aldmeris. She used to use the words of both her languages interchangeably, sometimes in the same sentence. Recently, however, she had started speaking Aldemeris with Fandelmar, and common with Juska.

_“Good morning, my treasure.”_

“Well, I recognized half of that,” Emilie said from where she was sweeping the floor. 

Fandelmar smiled at her. “It’s a term of endearment for family members. It means ‘treasure,’ mostly. But you understood the rest?”

“‘Dad’ is basically the same noise in every language. And Juska taught me ‘good morning.’ It takes a lot longer to say it in your language, though.”

Janne settled into his lap as he sat on the floor to be with her. Fandelmar brushed back her fine blonde hair as he smiled at his sister-in-law. 

“I am working on finding a book for you on the language, but Altmer texts aren’t exactly… common in Skyrim, currently.”

Emilie nodded. “We’re running out of space for books, anyway.”

“Not quite yet.”

“Book?” Janne asked, before switching back to his mother tongue. _“Book! Book, Dad!”_

Fandelmar kissed Janne’s temple. Her current favorite story was about a brave dog who saved his master in a storm, and at this point he could recite it from memory. To give her something to look at, however, he grabbed the battered volume off the table beside them. It had teeth marks on the spine from when she was younger.

Emilie and her broom moved closer, so Fandelmar rose off of the floor and settled in with his daughter and their book on the bench by the door. He read, and paused to let his daughter inspect the woodcuttings for the thousandth time, and thought about how nice it would be to have a house with space. A room, just for books, similar to the library he’d had growing up on Auridon. A common room big enough for chores _and_ reading to be done at the same time. A dedicated space in the kitchen for Juska to keep her ingredients, bottles, and tools. They were fine here, but it could be better. His family deserved better.

Janne poked his cheek with a finger. _“Read, Dad!”_

“I’m sorry, Janne. My mind wandered.” He resumed the story, and promised himself that he would speak with the Jarl to see if anything specific needed done for the city. It wouldn’t hurt to ask again.

****

Marcurio had moved from his usual bench to a corner table when Fandelmar left Emilie in charge of the house and slipped out to meet him. He waved down Talen-Jei and asked for a glass of wine before sitting across from his friend. The Imperial raised his tankard in toast and rested his elbows on the table as he leaned in.

"Your brow looks more furrowed than usual."

"You seem more cheerfully racist than usual."

"I made a lot of money on my last trip out." Marcurio sat back in the chair again. "I can be useless in here for weeks, if I want."

Fandelmar's wine was delivered, and he had a sip. _"Is_ that something you want?"

"Are you kidding? This inn is an incredible improvement over ruins and caves."

"Thank you for the compliment," Talen-Jei muttered as he swished away. 

Marcurio chuckled. "You won't believe who's in town, by the way." When Fandelmar raised an eyebrow, he elaborated. "The Dragonborn."

"Mm."

"You should be happy about that. If the vampires attack again, she'll destroy them."

"I have been on the receiving end of her help before." Fandelmar had to stop himself from taking several long swallows of wine as he saw Juska falling from Windhelm's city wall in his mind's eye. That accident had led to two of the longest days of his recent life. "Consider me wary of the collateral damage."

"Okay, fair. She's gotten me pretty good a few times with lightning."

"You work for her?"

"Yeah, sometimes." Marcurio inspected the dregs of his mug. "I'm not about to say I was her constant companion during the dragon crisis or anything, but when she's in the area she sometimes takes me along."

Fandelmar was stopped from saying something openly unkind by his friend's face lighting up. "Good afternoon!" he called.

A woman's voice sounded from behind him. "Hello, Marcurio. Is this your friend?"

"Yeah, the one I was telling you about." Marcurio kicked a chair out. "Come, sit!"

He glanced to his left, and saw that their new companion was a vaguely familiar petite brunette Breton. Instead of greeting her, he glanced at Marcurio. "'The one you were telling her about?’"

It was the woman who answered. "Yes. He says that you're capable in a fight, and also handy in a pinch."

"...I suppose I am. Why?"

She raised her hand toward the innkeepers, and Talen-Jei appeared beside her almost instantly. "Wine, please. Not the vinegar he's drinking. And—"

"Our cleanest glass. Yes, Dragonborn." The Argonian was off in an instant.

Fandelmar sighed through his nose as she glanced between the two of them. "I have a business proposition for you both."

Marcurio beamed at her. "I don't know, Carine. It's going to take a lot to get me out that door."

"I am hoping to appeal to your sense of humanity. I know it is in there, somewhere." The Dragonborn looked to Fandelmar. "I hear that it may be simpler with you."

"My family is my priority, these days." This time, Fandelmar did drain the rest of his wine. When Talen-Jei reappeared with the Dragonborn's glass, he silently asked for another.

"I understand that. I am still going to ask, however, that you consider assisting me."

"Why?" 

She tried hard to meet his eyes, and so he focused on his empty glass as she responded. "The vampire attacks are happening all across Skyrim, not just in Riften. I've met with a man who is organizing a counter-offensive, and I am hoping to bring some seasoned fighters to him. Marcurio says that you are a former... soldier."

Fandelmar locked eyes with his friend, who had the grace to look embarrassed. "I am," he admitted.

"We need people like that to fight the vampires. A desire to improve matters is well and good, but solid training is better by far. And the fort we're using as a home base is near Riften." 

"I'm not available." Talen-Jei appeared with his refill, and he had another long drink.

Marcurio looked at him like he had lost his mind. "She pays incredibly well. Didn't your wife just lose a lot of stock for her shop?"

"If I didn't know better, Marcurio, this conversation would lead me to believe that you still hated me."

The Dragonborn had a sip of wine. "He's correct. I do pay well."

Fandelmar took a deep breath. "I need to be here."

"Everyone has a price, in my experience. Name yours."

"I _need_ to be _here_. My wife and I are trying to build a life for our daughter. I am trying to get property for our house. She is trying to open a shop. We're busy."

She was silent for a moment. "Are you aware that I am a Thane here?"

"...I was not."

"If you help fight the vampire incursion, I can ensure that you are rewarded with property. If the Jarl refuses to heed my recommendation, I'll simply give you mine."

Fandelmar nearly choked on his wine. "You'll— what?"

"I have no intention of settling in the Rift. It's a good parcel of land, near the river, but I have homes that are already built which I like more." She finished her wine and shoved the glass away from her slightly. "I can show it to you, if you like."

He stared at her, and was surprised to find that she seemed completely serious. "Is this in lieu of, or in addition to, regular pay?"

She shrugged. "In addition. I have no idea how long this is going to take, so it seems only fair."

Fandelmar dragged his fingers through his hair, pulling it back away from his face, and met eyes with Marcurio. The Imperial gave him a slight nod. "...I need to speak with my wife," he said finally.

The Dragonborn smiled and looked to Marcurio. "See? Everyone has a price."

"Where's my house, then?"

She winked at him. "You like having people to clean up after you."

Fandelmar rose from the table and left the inn. Marcurio called after him as he opened the door, but he didn't respond. He was in no state of mind to manage a goodbye.

That night, he could hardly keep his attention on his family. Juska and Emilie had to repeat themselves often to get his attention, and he ended up making Janne cry when he didn't hear her say, "Look, look!" In his own language, no less. By the time the girls were in bed and it was just him and Juska, he felt dreadful. Juska took his hand and led him to their bedroom wordlessly, then guided him down onto the bed. When he sat obediently, she told him to lift his arms, then removed his shirt.

"I'm going to brush your hair, and you're going to tell me what's wrong." When he nodded, she removed her comb from the bedside table, straddled him from behind, and began gently combing his hair while she lightly squeezed him with her thighs. It was, as always, comforting.

"I was offered a job today."

"Yeah? Does it pay well?"

"Incredibly well, yes." 

Her hands paused briefly. "So you don't like what the job is, or do you not like who is offering?"

"Both. The Dragonborn is in town. She wants me and Marcurio to help her."

Fandelmar could tell by the silence that they were both thinking of how that dragon skidding into Windhelm's wall had caused so many problems for them. "What does someone that powerful need help with?"

"The vampire attacks are happening all over the country, apparently."

"...Oh." Her legs squeezed him a little tighter.

"She says there is a man in a fort nearby who is trying to mount a resistance."

"Well, if you'd be close.... What's the pay?"

"From what I could tell, my weekly rate, in addition to assurance that I would have property in Riften by the end of it."

Her hands fell to his side. "Gods," she breathed. 

"I know." 

They were quiet for a little while, so much so that he could hear the pull of the comb's teeth through his hair as Juska methodically worked around his head. Eventually, she spoke again.

"Look. Maybe this is Talos answering my prayers. I'd miss you, but I know that you really want us to have a home, one that you built. And I can take care of us here. I have Emilie. It would be hard, but if you think it's worth it, I'm going to support you."

Fandelmar reached back to take her hand, and then guided her to sit beside him on the bed. When he held out an arm, she melted against his side with a sigh. "I want to protect my family. I want us to have a safe place that is entirely ours. What is troubling me is trying to decide whether I can better accomplish this by staying here and protecting you directly... or by leaving and trying to solve the bigger problem."

"I get that. I've never been a bigger picture person, but I like that you are."

He chuckled. "You like that I'm a worrier?"

"Honestly? Yes. I've said it before, and I still mean it. It's a nice feeling. But I also don't want you to forget that I'm capable of protecting myself."

"You are, indeed. It was one of the first things I learned about you. I haven't forgotten." He ran a hand over her hair, and felt her smile against his side.

"Ask if you can visit once a week. If you'll be in the Rift, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"I am uncertain how much negotiation power I have in this case, but I will ask. As you said, she is very powerful, and I can't imagine I am much more than a warm body."

"What a strange thing." She lifted her head and looked at him. "It feels like it should be an honor to be asked to help her, right? She saved the world, and kind of us all over again, when she joined the Stormcloaks."

"And is more than slightly rude. You should have heard how she was speaking to Talen-Jei."

Juska laughed. "Of course she's rude. I'm sure she's so used to getting her way at this point that she doesn't even realize what she's doing. It's like being a Jarl."

"Hmmm." She had a point. He'd even seen it happen to the justiciars he'd worked with over the years, and their power had been comparatively minor. "You're sure you'll be fine? I won't be able to ward the stall if I am away."

"If they break it again, I'll just sell out of the home. It… huh. That would actually be easier, if you were gone. Almost like having my own shop."

"I'll want you to write to me."

"Are you going to do it, then?"

"It is worth discussing further, at the very least. But for now, Juska, we should get some rest." 

He gently pulled her sideways onto the bed, and she went with him easily. Juska rolled over and settled in against his chest, and they lay together in silence. It was soothing, and even though they weren't under the blankets, and she was still dressed, he could feel them both fighting sleep. Fandelmar let it take him, because he knew that if Janne woke in the night, he would need to rise to be with her. 

Sleep had become much more precious since having a daughter, but the thought of leaving her soon only made him look forward to her waking.


	6. Juska

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is AO.

Juska tried to be very quiet when she woke, because her first thought when she opened her eyes and saw Fandelmar's sleeping face beside hers was _I might not be able to see this for a while_. He hadn't made a final decision about whether or not he was going to help the Dragonborn, but she knew him; he wanted a home for them more than anything else. So she was already preparing herself mentally for being away from him for the first time since... Talos' tits, since _Markarth,_ back when he was still a Thalmor _._ Sure, he left sometimes on jobs, but this felt like it would be a more extended absence. It was going to be hard, but they both had already learned the lesson that the right thing to do wasn't always necessarily the easy thing. Which meant that even though she had a stall to run, and a daughter who would be easier to handle if Juska were already out of the house when Janne woke, she lay beside her husband and watched him sleep.

He didn't stay under long, and so she soon had the pleasure of watching his bright green eyes open sleepily, then focus on her. He smiled immediately, and she felt her cheeks flush. 

"Are you watching me sleep, Juska?"

She brushed his hair off of his scarred cheek. "A little."

"Mm." He slipped an arm over her hip and pulled her in toward him, and she was soon being given a sleepy kiss. "Are you alright?"

Juska laughed softly. "Am I that obvious?"

"To me, you are." Another kiss, this time to her forehead. "I like to think of it as a talent."

"I'm just going to miss waking up next to you for the next little while."

Fandelmar sighed. "I'll talk to her about my ability to visit before I make a final decision. I will go find her after I walk you to the stall."

"I'm going to start telling my customers to look for me at the house if I'm not at the stall. I should make a sign for the house."

He smiled again. "You need to think of a name. It will be like having a shop."

"Oh, I have one in mind. 'Riften's Remedies.'"

"I like that very much." He ran a hand along her side, easing from her shoulder to her thigh, and Juska felt a very poorly-timed tingle in her hips. Judging by the heat radiating off of Fandelmar, he was having a similar problem.

"We need to get up." One more kiss, with a nip to his lower lip, before she rose to a sitting position. "We sort of violently murdered our ability to lie uselessly in bed whenever we wanted."

He sat up and stretched. Oh gods, the way his back muscles flexed made her fingers twitch toward them.

"That we did," he said. "And I believe it was the right choice, most mornings."

Juska chewed on her lower lip. "We could... take a walk today."

Fandelmar grinned at her. "Lunch?"

She nodded. "Lunch."

"I will come find you." 

With that, they rose and began their day. The sun was higher than usual when they left to walk to the market, but there weren't many shoppers out yet, and she didn't expect that she'd see a hit in business from her slow start. Even if she did, after the work she was doing for the city guard, they were going to be set for a while.

Assuming they didn't get robbed, anyway. They passed Sapphire on their way to set up the stall, and she gave them a wide smile and a jaunty wave. Juska experienced a surge of rage so intense that her body felt hot. Still, she forced herself to smile and wave back.

When they reached her stall, Fandelmar reached out and touched it, which caused the slightly glowing circle of sigils gleaming across the counter-top to disappear.

"One of these days they're going to set it off just to see if the stall burns," Juska muttered.

"They might not have much time to try that experiment." Fandelmar's hands slipped to her waist, and he pulled her in close. The kiss he gave her was not restrained, but she didn't care. She buried her fingers in his hair and tried her best to keep his lips on hers, but he pulled away and spoke again. "I need to go speak with the Dragonborn."

"Be nice," she said, and her cheeks flushed when she heard how breathy her voice was.

He gave her a slow smile. "I am always nice."

"Gods. Get out of here before I melt."

Fandelmar laughed and squeezed her hand. "I will see you at lunch, Juska."

Juska licked her lips. "Be on time, husband. Be early."

This made him laugh again. He was still chuckling as he turned and began to walk toward the Bee and Barb. Juska took a minute to watch him go, because in the early morning sun, surrounded by all the Nords and Dark Elves that called Riften home, he shone like a beacon. She had married a genuinely beautiful man. 

Once he was out of sight, Juska exhaled deeply and turned her attention to the market. Across the path, the red-headed Nord caught her eye and winked. Talos' tits, had he watched all that? She made a rude gesture and began rearranging her stock so that she could ignore him. Meanwhile, she prayed for a customer to arrive. Anything to give her something to do but focus on how much she wanted to hit him.

Soon, the clanking of heavy armor made her look up, and she saw a familiar Nord walking toward her. Her blond hair was messily braided in a style Juska used to wear while hunting, and dark pigment had been smeared down the side of her face. Mjöll? Mjöll the... something. Marcurio talked about her sometimes, but she had never interacted with the woman herself. Behind her, as always, was a young man in fine clothes. He stood well back, making it clear that he was not part of the conversation.

"Good morning!" Juska beamed at her. "What can I do for you?"

The Nordess studied her for a moment before replying. "I have heard that you are having trouble with the Thieves Guild."

Juska kept her eyes from darting to the red-headed Nord. Or to Sapphire, who she could practically _feel_ leaning in a nearby shadow. "I... We. We are."

"I have been dealing with them for years. I came to offer my help."

"Oh." Juska chewed on her lower lip. "How do you mean?"

"I would like to watch over your shop." Her eyes cut to where Sapphire was standing before returning to Juska's face. "And you."

Gods. Was this Talos answering her prayers again? With Fandelmar gone, it would be nice to have someone strong around. Juska was only good from a distance. She'd definitely learned that lesson the hard way, and the scar on her abdomen wasn't going to let her forget it. 

"How much would you ask for in return?"

Mjöll shook her head. "I am Riften's protector. I don't do this for money."

"I'm not comfortable with that."

"I... would accept a small fee, if it would make you feel better."

Juska's smile returned. "It would. Tell me, are you free around sunset? I'd like to discuss this in detail, with my husband present. We have some... changes coming up that might affect how we need your help."

She nodded. "Very well. At your house?"

"Yeah, please. We'll cook for you," Juska added.

Mjöll made a dismissive gesture. "I will see you at sunset, then." With that, she and her young shadow left, heading away from the market's center. Juska said a small prayer of thanks to Talos, and tried not to look at the red-headed Nord so near to her stall as she waited for customers to arrive. 

****

Fandelmar was early, just as she had asked. When she spotted him weaving through the crowd with a blanket and a basket, she nearly laughed. By the time he got to her stall, she was already packing her wares away. She considered storing them in the cabinet, but she didn't trust her two watchers not to take advantage of that while she was gone, middle of the day or no.

"Are you ready for a walk, Juska?"

She hefted her crate to her hip. "Yeah. We just need to drop this off at the house."

He nodded, and they headed that way. "I have something to show you," he said as they walked out of the market. "We'll be going there for lunch."

"Yeah?" 

Fandelmar was walking close beside her, and when his hand reached out to slip down to her lower back, she shivered. "The Dragonborn showed me her property. I thought you might like to see it before we make a final decision."

"Okay. Is it far?"

"Not far, no."

When they reached their little house, Fandelmar opened the door for her. She smiled at him as she ducked inside to set the crate down. 

Emilie looked up from where she was playing dolls with Janne. "Off on your picnic?"

Juska hoped that her cheeks weren't flushed. "Yeah. We'll be back soon."

If her sister had any suspicions about why the two of them were disappearing into the woods in the middle of the day, she didn't show it. Juska walked over to give her daughter a kiss and tell her in Aldmeris that she would be back soon, and then she was back out the door, to where her husband was waiting.

"Did Janne give you any trouble?"

"No. She loves it when Emilie gives her attention."

"Good." This time, he took her hand, and began to lead her for the gate. "It's a ten minute walk away."

She squeezed his hand, and they settled into an easy pace. Fandelmar appeared to be looking around, enjoying the trees, but she was too busy stealing glances at him to pay much attention to her surroundings. It felt silly, but she wanted to make sure she had him committed to memory; the scar on his cheek, the length of his hair, his strong chin and jaw, and the delicate points of his ears were all familiar, but she took them all in anyway. After about five minutes of this, he chuckled and looked down at her.

"I can feel that. Not in the mood to enjoy nature?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm out here to enjoy _you."_

He exhaled sharply. "Then it is good we have almost made it, Juska. See the curve in the road, here? There is a path that leads off to the left."

They passed a spider corpse on the way to the side path, and she wrinkled her nose at a smell that reminded her of Markarth after a thunderstorm. Fandelmar sniffed, as well, and then answered her thought: "I learned today that the Dragonborn is a deadly shot with lightning. The good news is, the area should be free of danger for now."

Juska stifled a shudder. Someone already that powerful had no need for magic. She wasn't afraid of many people, but the thought of having to actually meet the woman if Fandelmar agreed to work for her made her jaw clench and her fingers twitchy. 

But her husband pulled her gently by the hand, and she turned her attention to the small hill they were cresting. At its top, they paused and stared at a tree-ringed field near the river's edge. Fandelmar stood quietly beside her, looking out over the view, and Juska followed suit.

"This is...?"

"Yes, Juska."

"All the way to the river?"

"From the river to the road behind us, and some of the forest on each side, as well."

"Talos' tits," she breathed. In her mind's eye, she saw Janne and Emilie playing in the field in front of a little wooden house, instead of in a patch of grass in the middle of a city street. 

"It is more than I would be able to afford on my own," he admitted. "She said that I would be able to come home for regular visits, as well."

Juska slipped an arm around his hips and leaned into his side. "You want to do it. You don't need to worry about us. We'll be okay."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I will worry about my family every moment of every day, Juska. You know this."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, but you won't _need_ to. Unfounded worries are okay."

"Vampires keep attacking the city. There are no unfounded worries."

"Start worrying later, then. Once you're gone. For now, show me the river."

The smile her request triggered looked slightly hungry. "Of course." 

He took her hand and resumed walking. Juska's head swiveled, taking in the details of the land. There was a large tree off to her right that looked perfect for a swing, and maybe a ladder if Janne showed signs of liking climbing. She'd never had a yard growing up; the sad bit of grass their little house had now was more than Markarth had ever had to offer. The thought that her daughter and little sister might have actual outdoor space made her choke up.

"You're a good man, Fandelmar," she murmured as they picked a tree at the river's edge. No, not the river; this was a creek that fed into it at the edge of her line of sight. Good. That would make it more secluded.

"I have my days." 

He shook the blanket out and draped it across the grass. Once they'd settled in, he moved to open the basket he'd brought, but Juska stopped him by straddling his lap. "Not yet. I want you."

Fandelmar's smile made his eyes crinkle slightly as his hands eased down her sides. "Do you, now?"

"Where there's no chance of our wonderful daughter waking up or barging in?" She let her nails run lightly along his neck under his ear. "Tell me our new bedroom will have a latch on the inside."

His fingers dug into the skirt of her dress, pulling it up so that he could run his hands along her thighs. "And the children's rooms won't be next to ours."

"Thank Talos." She slipped her fingers into his hair and pulled him in for a kiss, and then groaned as his tongue immediately sought her mouth. 

Gods. It had been weeks since they'd had the time or the energy to do this, and she intended to make the most of it. Apparently, so did he; when she lightly rocked into his lap, she felt hardness and heat through his trousers. His hands eased up her legs, and when his fingers felt the bare skin of her backside, he broke the kiss and chuckled into her shoulder.

"No underwear?"

"I had plans."

His tongue eased along her collarbone, and she let her head fall back to give him easier access. "Bless you for that." 

His teeth pressed into her skin hard enough to leave a mark, and that was the last bit of encouragement Juska needed. Her hands were up his shirt, quick as a thought, and her nails ran lines down his muscular torso as she craned to get at his ear again. She sucked on its tip, and he made a ragged sound and pulled her hard against him. When she rocked her hips again, knowing that he wanted her to, he wedged his hand between them and hit her sweet spot with unerring accuracy.

Juska's nails dug into the back of his neck, and she leaned back to give him enough room to work, but didn't bother to stop her hips from grinding against him. Her free hand moved for his belt, but he caught it with his and pinned it against her side.

"No. I want to watch without distractions."

_Talos save me from how much I love this man_ . She tried to articulate it, but the way his eyes were fixed on her face left her able to do nothing but groan and writhe atop him. He was going to stare at her like that until she came, and knowing that was almost enough to accomplish it on its own. Her mouth worked; she wanted to say something, _anything_ , but then his hand twisted, and his first two fingers slid home within her.

"Fuck!" She slumped forward, resting her head on his shoulder, and felt her nails dig into his neck again. 

Fandelmar's lips pressed to her ear. She groaned again when he spoke, and she heard that his voice had gone low. "Look at me, Juska."

She forced her back to straighten, even as his fingers leached the strength from her body with their clever motions. When she met his eyes again, he smiled, and that was all her nerves could take. She went tight around his fingers, and her eyes closed hard as the rush came. Distantly, she heard herself cry out, much louder than she would have allowed herself at home, and even that was bliss.

He tried to give her a moment to recover, but chuckled a little when he realized that her hands were already working at his trousers again. She undid his belt as he rose partially onto his knees and held her into place. She unlaced his waist. Unlaced, and shoved, then wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Please," she breathed into his ear.

Fandelmar let himself fold back onto his legs and brought her to him in one practiced motion. Juska pulled him in for a kiss so that she could feel him groan as he thrust within her. His hands slid up her back, holding her close, and they paused for a moment as all Juska's former franticness dissolved into her bloodstream and left her utterly fulfilled.

He broke the kiss and nipped at her earlobe. "Move for me, Juska."

With a groan, she obeyed. His hands held her steady at her hips as she pressed her forehead to his and put her hips to work. It wasn't long before their breathing had synced, and they were gasping together each time she took him completely within her. The sound made her rock harder, and she let herself give over to the rhythm of euphoria they'd created. She tested him, increasing their pace, letting herself become as loud as she needed, and he held her and did nothing to attempt to alter what she wanted. He so rarely gave her complete control like this, and the sense of power it gave her did nothing to slow her speed to the brink.

Juska came fast, and hard, and was completely unsurprised to realize that Fandelmar was right behind her. It was not a day for teasing and lingering, though hopefully a day for that would come soon. She clung to him, breathing hard, feeling her sweat make her clothes cling to her in turn, and refused to move away from him as their hips began to slow. He seemed equally reluctant to withdraw from her, and simply hugged her against him with a sigh. She let her eyes close, and took deep, greedy breaths, enjoying the way he smelled when surrounded by trees and water. It was very different from their usual.

He ran a hand over her hair and kissed her temple, and she responded by brushing her lips against his neck.

"Feel better?" His voice was warm with amusement.

"Much." Juska refused to open her eyes, and refused to allow their current worries to creep back in. _Not yet. Just a few more moments of warmth and closeness._

Fandelmar appeared to feel the same way, because he went quiet and simply held her in his lap. After a moment or two, he eased onto his back, taking her with him, careful to still keep them joined. She sank against his chest and began lightly nipping at him through his shirt. He twitched within her, and she laughed.

"Careful. I'm not sure we have time for another round." 

She cut her eyes to his face, and found him smiling. His face was relaxed, and free of tension. So she nodded, and sank against him with a happy noise. 

His hand began running small circles up and down her back. "You need to eat."

"In a minute. I'm enjoying the moment."

Fandelmar reached for the basket, pulled out a cold chicken leg, and very pointedly had a bite. Juska laughed and slipped off to his side. "Okay, okay. Eat, hungry husband."

He swallowed his bite. "I brought a cloth for you."

"Have I told you that you're a wonderful man?" She rummaged around in the basket, located it, and cleaned herself off before sitting beside him on the blanket. 

"You may have, yes." He re-situated his pants, leaving the laces undone, and flexed upward into a sitting position. 

And just like that, they were decent and having a picnic. Juska laughed as she pulled out a plate and began serving herself chicken and bread and—"Grapes? We can afford grapes?"

"They were a gift from a reagent supplier in Solitude. I believe he would like to ensure we place another order."

She popped a grape into her mouth. "Well, he just did."

"Noted."

They ate in silence for a moment, but Juska broke it again by giggling, hard.

"What?"

"Did we just fuck on the Dragonborn's property?"

Fandelmar nearly choked on his bite. _"Juska."_

She grinned at him. "Think of this every time you're near her."

His cheeks went slightly pink. "You are a nightmare. I'm to be working with her closely."

"Good. Then you won't forget about me."

Fandelmar's face became serious. "You know that is impossible. You are a very memorable woman."

Juska shifted on the blanket so that she could lean against his side. "To you, yes. I was only teasing." Her mind flashed to the future for a moment, where she would age quickly, and one day he would have nothing more to do than remember. She took a vicious bite of food and shoved the thought away. "I hope she grows on you, for your sake."

"...I am not sure that I can forgive her for what she did to you."

"The dragon did it. _I_ did it, by stupidly running up that wall to shoot arrows in its face. It was an accident, Fandelmar."

"My mind understands that. My heart does not."

"I just don't want you hating someone for my sake. Hate is my emotion, not yours."

He smiled at her. "You may be more hot-headed, but I am just as capable of disliking someone as you are."

"Sure. Just... don't let it tangle up in you and make you miserable."

He nodded. "I will try."

They relaxed back beside one another, and took the time to enjoy the scenery as they finished eating. Worries and responsibilities loomed on the edge of Juska's mind, but she didn't let them ruin the moment. Not this one. Not when he was so close to being gone.

****

Juska told Fandelmar about Mjöll on their way back to the house. It turned out that he was a bit more familiar with her than Juska was, which was unsurprising, since after that initial run-in with Marcurio, he had made a point of learning about every person in Riften who looked comfortable with weapons and armor.

"They call her Mjöll the Lioness. She was being truthful when she said she doesn't work for pay. She is no mercenary." 

"I didn't know they let idealists live in this city," Juska muttered.

He made a soft noise of agreement and looked at the gates coming into view ahead of them. "Still, you are right to want to pay her. I would be uncomfortable with charity, as well."

They walked past the gate guards in silence; Juska kept her eyes on the one closest to her as they entered the city, because she remembered how often they'd tried shaking them down when they’d first arrived in Riften. The guard flashed a toothy smile, as though well aware of her thoughts, but let them pass.

Fandelmar took Juska's hand as they walked for their home to retrieve her goods and get her set back up for the market. "What do you think I should make us for dinner? It doesn’t have to be my usual fare. There are a few local recipes I've picked up, mostly from your sister."

"I don't think a guest will be in any position to complain about what she's served."

"I’m making sure I don't cause problems accidentally. We could use her help."

Juska frowned. This was as close as Fandelmar had come in a while to openly discussing the racism she knew he still dealt with on a daily basis, even here. "She clearly knows us, Fandelmar. I don't think she would have offered her help if she had hang-ups on race."

"I suppose not."

She pulled on his hand and made him stop walking. "Have people been bothering you again?" Not 'people.' Nords. But they both knew what she meant. 

He avoided her eyes. "Vulwulf Snow-Shod spit on me the other day."

Her fists clenched. "...I am going to beat that old man bloody."

"No, Juska. You're not."

Juska lifted her chin. "For that, I might. He and his wife are both the worst sort of Talos worshiper."

"This is why I didn't say anything."

"Would you let someone get away with doing that to me?"

His eyes finally met hers. "No. But I can't retaliate to these things, Juska. If I do, it makes them believe that they were right all along. And that will make things worse."

She felt her teeth clench, but she knew that he was right. "I won't do anything if you don't want me to."

"Thank you. Let's get you set back up."

They didn't say anything else about it, but Juska spent the rest of the afternoon on the look-out for one, or both, of the Snow-Shods. Neither of them walked through the market while she was there, but even if they had, all she would have done was glare. She had promised him, and she'd keep that promise. Her mood for the rest of the afternoon was low, but she kept a cheerful face for her customers, and ended the day with a list of orders to fill. The red-headed Nord watched her openly as she packed the stall up, but Sapphire was nowhere to be seen, so Juska ignored him. When Fandelmar came to spell the stall and walk her home, he ignored the man, too.

His hand slid into its normal space at the small of her back as they walked, and the feel of it relieved some of the tension she had been feeling. They would be fine, she reminded herself. Even with the guild, and the Snow-Shods, this was still so much better for them both than Windhelm. Vulwulf might snarl and spit, but he would never imprison her husband for crimes he hadn’t committed. So Juska counted her blessings, and went home to enjoy her evening with her family.


	7. Fandelmar

Mjöll arrived at dark, and loomed large in the doorway even though she was out of armor. Fandelmar was immediately struck by the difference between her and Juska. He knew that his wife was on the slighter side for a Nordess, but Mjöll made _him_ feel slight, as well. She was obviously well-muscled from years of fighting and moving in heavy armor, and she walked with the gait of someone used to winning fights. Emilie took one look at her and clammed up completely when she stepped into their house.

"Mjöll, welcome to our home," he said from the kitchen, where he was putting their dinner onto plates. "It is good to see you."

"Fandelmar. Juska. And who is this?" Mjöll fixed her eyes on Emilie, whose smile was so strained that it might as well have just been bared teeth.

"I-I'm Emilie."

"She's my sister." Juska put her free hand on Emilie's shoulder. "And this," she added, gently bouncing their daughter on her hip, "is Janne."

" _Hello_ ," Janne said in Aldmeris, then turned and pressed her face to Juska's side. 

Fandelmar eyed Mjöll, but the Nordess was just smiling down at his daughter.

"Use your mama's words, baby."

"Hi!" This time, Janne waved before her face disappeared again. 

"Your daughter is beautiful," Mjöll said, looking between them. 

Juska beamed and began walking for the kitchen table, where they had added an extra chair from the living room. "Thank you. Come sit with us, Mjöll. I know you hand-waved dinner, but my husband cooked for you, anyway."

"I haven't eaten. Thank you," she said to him.

He gestured at the seat at the head of the table as he began setting plates down in their places. "It was the least we could do, considering the offer you made my wife today."

Emilie quietly took up a spot beside Janne's little chair. She had been asked to take care of her niece during dinner so that Fandelmar and Juska could focus on their conversation with Mjöll. He and Juska took the seats to either side of Mjöll, and they all settled in to eat.

"Do you pray to Talos, Mjöll?" Juska asked. Fandelmar kept his eyebrows from raising, but only just.

"Certainly. I pray to all the gods."

"My sister and I are going to pray right now, if you'd like to join us. Absolutely no pressure."

Their guest agreed. Juska's prayer was short, almost perfunctory, but Fandelmar knew why she'd done it. She'd admitted to him earlier that she thought Mjöll might be an answer from Talos for the Thieves Guild. So he waited to eat, and let them finish, and tried not to focus on his utter lack of desire to say a silent prayer to Auri-El. He hadn't prayed since Juska had been ill during her pregnancy.

"Mjöll," he said once they'd begun. "We'd like to thank you for your offer, but we're going to insist that we pay you."

"I was thinking about that. What if Juska kept me stocked with healing and disease potions? I can always use both."

Juska chewed on her lip as she thought. "The ingredients are in high demand right now, but I still have enough. I might also be able to make you something that could make you stronger, if you want things like that."

Mjöll smiled. Like with Juska, the expression highlighted her well-curved lips, and the almost sing-song quality of her voice added an odd lightness to the conversation. "I could always stand to be stronger."

"I think that would work, then. You mentioned wanting to protect my stall, but there are some changes coming up for us, and..." Juska glanced at Fandelmar, and then barreled on, telling Mjöll about his imminent departure, and her plan to start working from the house. "The stall might be a lost cause. I think they'll break it out of spite, but honestly, I'd like to have you around during the day. If that's okay with you. In case they try to rob me." Juska cut her eyes toward Emilie and stopped talking.

"I can do that, sure. I'm also planning on keeping an eye on Sapphire. She seems unusually interested in what you do from day to day."

"She has been speaking to us on the guild's behalf," Fandelmar said.

"That's one way to put it." Juska stabbed her fork into one of the baked vegetables on her plate.

"I think that my family will be fine at night, once shop hours are over." He gestured behind Mjöll to the large plank they barred the door with each night. 

She turned in her seat, studied it, and then gave him a nod. "And are there any back doors? Could someone fit through the windows?"

He shook his head. “Our windows are small, and the shutters are already barred.” The house he made for his family would have large windows, even if there would only be a few months out of the year that they would be useful. He missed the look and sound of curtains rustling in the breeze. 

Mjöll nodded again. "This might also help me stay close for Bersi. Brynjolf destroyed some of his stock just three days ago."

"Brynjolf?" Juska's eyebrows raised.

"The charlatan alchemist. He is a high-ranking member of the guild, from my understanding."

Hm. The man looked like a 'Brynjolf.' He and Juska sighed at the same time before she added, "Well, at least we know his name. He robbed me during the last vampire attack."

"Just like them, to use such a horrible thing for profit." 

They nodded in agreement, and then turned their heads as Janne started fussing. 

Emilie crumpled slightly in her chair. "Sorry. She's not wanting her vegetables."

"It's okay, Emi." Juska chuckled at her daughter. "It's just the thing for her to decide on the night her dad cooks a vegetarian meal."

Fandelmar looked down at his plate, but felt Juska brush a foot against his calf.

"She should give them a try. These might be the best vegetables I've eaten, Fandelmar. I'm so used to them being boiled to mush!"

"Thank you, Mjöll. I learned this dish from my mother, back home." The spices he'd used were becoming increasingly difficult to find, but he would deal with that problem later.

"I'm glad I came to dinner," Mjöll replied. "You seem like a wonderful family, and I respect that you've gone so long without caving to their extortion."

"It's nothing new for us, really," Juska admitted. "At least the guards leave us alone here."

"I wouldn't be too sure. The jarl has a snake for an advisor, and has been convinced that there is no Thieves Guild in the city at all." This was news to the both of them. When Mjöll saw the looks on their faces, she frowned. "It makes keeping the guards honest, and keeping the criminals in jail, very difficult."

"So we're on our own, again. That's also nothing new." 

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I just want to make sure the two—" Mjöll looked past them both, to Emilie. "Three of you know what you're getting into."

"We do." Juska's voice was firm.

"In that case, I will be here tomorrow morning, to go with you wherever you decide to work."

"Thank you, Mjöll."

They let the talk turn idle after that, and once they'd finished their plates, Mjöll excused herself. Juska saw her out before barring the door for the night, and then began collecting plates to wash in the basin.

"She's scary," Emilie said to her sister as she helped bring dishes in.

"I know. We need someone scary, though. Everyone in this house is too nice."

Fandelmar smiled to himself as he turned his attention to his daughter. "No vegetables tonight? Your father worked hard to cook that."

"No!" And then, he supposed for emphasis, once more in Aldmeris: " _No!_ "

Ah. It was going to be that sort of evening, then.

It was difficult to get Janne down that night, and once she finally succumbed to sleep, Fandelmar had trouble following suit. Juska was beside him, sleeping heavily, and taking up a large portion of the bed, but he didn't have the heart to move her to make himself more comfortable. His intention was to speak with the Dragonborn in the morning, and he had the worst feeling that they would be gone by the afternoon. Juska was going to be handling a lot, on her own, and he wasn't going to be around to make sure she slept at night.

With a sigh, he rose from the bed and moved to the main area of the house to check the door. He knew it was barred, but he wanted to make sure every bit of it was working properly. The thought of the girls alone, without him....

 _We can take care of ourselves_ , Juska's voice reminded him. And he knew that, but—

"Are you okay?"

Fandelmar nearly jumped out of his skin as he looked into the chair by the window and found Emilie eyeing him.

"Yes." He ran his hands through his hair and moved to sit near her. "Can't sleep?"

She shook her head. "I want to help, but I don't know if Juska will let me. And I keep waking up when I hear noises."

"How would you like to help?"

"I want to learn to fight. Juska knew by the time she was my age." Her chin lifted, and she looked at him, as though expecting him to disagree.

"I think that if you ask, Emi, she will happily teach you what she knows. And if she doesn't, I'll make sure to give you lessons when I am here."

Her eyes went wide. "Like, with a sword?"

"Do you want to use a sword?"

"...I hadn't thought about it. Do we have a book on weapons?"

His head tilted toward the ceiling as he went through a mental catalog of books he had brought home. "Yes." He rose and walked to the low shelf that spanned one of the walls, and then ran his fingers over the spines as he hunted it down. "It is a more advanced book, about care and upkeep, but it discusses many different types of weapons. And I think you'll be able to tell what they're good for by what sorts of repairs need to be made to them." He slipped the book from the shelf, and offered it out to her.

"Thank you." She took it and rested it in her lap.

"I want you to feel safe. Juska wants you to feel safe. And if you feel safest by helping us, and learning how to defend yourself, then that is what we should do."

Emilie looked down at the book in silence for almost a full minute before replying. "I'm glad she met you. And I'm glad I'm here. I just want you to know that."

"Thank you, Emi." They had never spoken about the time she and her sisters had spent in captivity under the Thalmor, of what it had been like for them. He almost brought it up, but stopped himself. "I want us to be able to live without fear. I'm sorry that we can't right now."

"Pa says there will always be tests, and that no one gets an easy life."

"Perhaps not an _easy_ life, but I think we all deserve lives easier than this." 

She ran her hand along the book's cover. "This is as easy as my life has ever been, though."

Sometimes he forgot that she had grown up in poverty, knowing that any one of her family could be taken from her because of who they worshiped. It was a miracle, in some ways, that she spoke to him at all, considering that his kind had been the bogeymen of her upbringing. It spoke to the underlying goodness of Juska's family that all of them, at least to some degree, had forgiven him for his part in abducting Juska while she was hunting in the Reach. That, and of looking past his time as a Thalmor. 

Auri-El. What a waste of a century. 

"Get some rest. I'm checking the door, and then going to bed."

"Okay." She rose and started for her room, book in hand, but murmured over her shoulder, “I'm going to miss you."

"Likewise, Emi."

The door was in working order. The locks were in working order. The plank he had added was sturdy... all of it was fine, just as he knew it would be. So he stood in the middle of the main room, looked around, and let himself feel, for a moment, just how much he was going to miss them all. 

****

Fandelmar dropped Juska off at her stall the next morning and removed its protective magic. Mjöll had been waiting for them, and seemed prepared to stand close by and look intimidating for the entire day. He left them in the market and walked to the inn, letting himself in the main door. Neither Marcurio nor the Dragonborn were in sight, but the former didn't surprise him, since Marcurio slept in whenever he could. He waved hello to Keerava as he took the stairs to the second floor. Marcurio's door was closed, so he knocked softly. 

The door opened, and his eyes met empty air. His head dropped slightly, and he found the Dragonborn looking up at him with sleepy eyes and messy hair. Her skin had that clammy look that signaled a previous night of heavy drinking. He was unable to hide his surprise, and could feel his eyebrows come close to meeting his hairline.

"Ah. Good morning."

She gave him a wry smile, then looked over her shoulder. "Mar. Time to get up." With that, she pushed past Fandelmar and into the hall. Through the doorway, he heard a muffled curse.

Fandelmar turned after the Dragonborn. "I was, ah, looking for you, actually. I was going to ask him which room was yours."

She stopped and began braiding her hair loosely over one shoulder. "To tell me that you've decided to help?"

"Yes."

"Good. When can you leave?"

He licked his lips. "I can be ready by this afternoon."

The Dragonborn finished her braid and looked up at him again. "We should be over the hangover by then. Meet us at the stable after high sun."

"Very well."

And with that, she resumed walking down the hall toward the corner room. Fishing out a key, she unlocked the door, and then disappeared inside it. Fandelmar realized he was still staring at the closed door when Marcurio's groggy voice made him start.

"Morning, friend. I'm glad you saw reason and decided to help."

Fandelmar turned to his friend, who was shirtless, barefoot, standing in unlaced pants, and just as hungover as the Dragonborn had been. He raised an eyebrow, but Marcurio shook his head and glanced pointedly at the door the Dragonborn had disappeared through. 

"Do you need one of Juska's hangover remedies?"

Marcurio shook his head again, and then groaned and clutched it. "Yes. Bring two." He stepped into the room to collect his coin purse, and handed over the right amount of money without needing to ask the price. This was not the first time he had placed this sort of order with Juska. 

"I will go get them now, and then pack."

"It'll be good to have you. I can't believe we've never actually fought beside one another. This is going to be interesting."

Fandelmar smiled. His friend's presence would hopefully make the entire ordeal more tolerable. "Do me a favor and don't electrocute me in the thick of battle."

"Only if you don't stab me, friend."

"I know how to aim."

Marcurio chuckled, and then groaned. "I'll be here, in the dark, until Juska's cure arrives."

Fandelmar shut the door as he staggered back for the bed, and then went to collect the potions he'd requested. After he delivered them, he checked in with Juska to go home and pack and say his goodbyes. Juska's eyes went red when he told her he'd be leaving in a few hours, and she immediately began closing up her stall.

"I'm going to help you get ready."

He didn't argue. Mjöll read the situation and excused herself without either of them having to explain, which was a blessing. 

Packing was a silent affair. While Juska started bringing in various bottles for him to take, he took a moment to stare down at his pack. It was the one Juska had gotten him in Whiterun, the one that had sat by the door at Windhelm, ready in case they needed to run. It was worn, and scratched, but he had no intention of replacing it. Not until it fell off his back and into pieces. He filled it with extra clothes, the potions, and a bar of sage soap, which was perhaps wishful thinking. His bedding and furs, he rolled and attached to the bottom. Neither of them were sure if he should pack food, but Juska convinced him to bring some, just in case. 

Next she helped him into his armor, which she tried to do any time he went out on a job. He stood still and watched her openly, as she kitted him up. 

"You'll be back soon," she breathed.

"I will."

She locked eyes with him. "You'll write if anything happens." 

"Yes, Juska."

"We'll be okay."

"And so will I." He wanted to pet her hair, but his gauntlets were already on, so he kissed her forehead instead.

She smiled at him, then gave him a slow kiss. "I'll walk you to the gate. I want to see the Dragonborn, anyway."

Saying goodbye to Janne was just as difficult as Fandelmar had expected that it would be. She was too young to understand that when he walked out the door, he wouldn't be coming back as quickly as he usually did, but she was old enough to read the room and know that something was wrong. It wasn't long before she was crying, and he was kissing her cheek and telling her to be good.

" _I'm doing this for you, my treasure_ ," he said in her ear, even though he knew she didn't understand the words. " _So you can have a home, and land, and not have to worry at night."_

Emilie took her so that Juska could walk him to the gate, but not before hugging him around the waist. 

"Talk to Juska," he told her, and she nodded.

"What?" Juska asked.

"Later," her sister replied. 

And then they were out of the house, and walking toward the front gate. Marcurio and the Dragonborn were already waiting when they pushed the doors open and stepped out into the Rift. Juska's eyes immediately locked onto the Breton, and she frowned.

"Hey!" Marcurio sounded cheerful. "Thanks for the potion, Juska. You saved my head."

"You need to drink less, Marcurio," she replied as they walked close. 

"I don't have a horse," Fandelmar told the Dragonborn, looking up to where she sat astride a large palomino.

She immediately swung off the beast with surprising ease, considering her size, then began removing her gear from its saddle. "You do now."

Juska blinked. "But what about you?"

Fandelmar was wondering, as well. She didn't seem like the type of person to willingly ride double.

The Dragonborn walked a few paces away and held up her hand. The light began sucking inward, toward her palm. Conjuration magic. Fandelmar tried to ignore a deep-rooted horror that woke in his belly as he took a step back, putting himself between Juska and the Breton. The Dragonborn thrust out her hand, and an ethereal horse appeared on the road. It lifted its head and snorted at them before walking a few paces to graze.

"What the _fuck_ ," Juska muttered.

"My horses kept dying during the dragon attacks, so I learned to summon one." 

Fandelmar looked at Juska, who was staring at the Dragonborn with wide eyes. She glanced up at him, now frowning deeply.

"He'll be safe," Marcurio told her. 

"As safe as we can be," the Dragonborn added, "with vampires attacking everywhere."

"Carine." Marcurio looked at her sharply, but she ignored him and mounted her translucent horse.

Fandelmar turned his back on them both, and looked down at Juska, whose eyes were red-rimmed. Even still, she gave him a stunning gap-toothed smile and reached up to run her thumb along his scar.

" _I love you, husband_ ," she said in Aldmeris. " _Come back soon, and be safe."_

" _I will. I love you, Juska,_ "he replied.

She rose onto her toes, gave him a quick kiss, and then sped for the gate. Fandelmar turned back to the palomino and began loading his gear instead of watching the doors close behind her.

"She's pretty," the Dragonborn said. "You'll see her soon."

He mounted up, a bit stiffly, and took a deep breath. "Where are we going?"

"Fort Dawnguard." Marcurio's voice was still cheerful. "Wait until you see it, Fandelmar. It's going to drive you crazy."

"I look forward to it."

"Liar," said the Dragonborn. "Come on. Let's get this over with. I hate it when conversations with Isran are looming over my head."

The two of them began to ride, and Fandelmar reluctantly followed after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the past few months have been a special sort of hell, but I've got about thirteen chapters of this written, and I'm going to start posting the backlog in the hopes it will help me keep writing. I'd forgotten just how much I hated the Dawnguard DLC!


	8. Juska

Juska stirred under the blankets as the sky began to lighten, reaching unconsciously for Fandelmar so that she could spend a moment enjoying his warmth. When her hand hit empty, cold sheets, her eyes immediately flew open. Right. He was gone. He was on a job. It happened. 

It just didn't usually happen that the job was fighting vampires with the Dragonborn.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She should have said something to the woman, something to warn her about what would happen if Fandelmar got hurt on her watch. Everything in Juska had demanded that she do it, and yet…. How do you hold someone like that accountable? The woman had already almost accidentally killed her once. No threat that Juska could think of would work on the Dragonborn. And so she had kept her mouth shut, and then gone home to cry. 

She sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, and took the Talos medallion her pa had sent her into her hands. It wasn't the same as being at a temple, or a shrine, but it still gave her something to focus on as she worked through her usual prayers: one for her daughter, one for Emi, one for Fandelmar, one for herself. Today, she added thanks for Mjöll, and asked that he help keep those who couldn't protect themselves safe from the vampires. 

A faint noise from the main room made her realize that her sister was already up, so she pulled some pants on under the shirt she'd stolen from Fandelmar's wardrobe the night before and padded out to see why she was awake so early. She found her sister rummaging through the bookshelf under the window, slowly stacking books beside her where she knelt.

"Emi?"

"Hey, Jus." Her sister didn't turn to look at her, but she did pitch her voice low to keep from waking Janne.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding all your alchemy books."

"I have more in the bedroom. I'll get them for you."

"Thanks."

Juska popped back into the bedroom, and began pulling her reference books from their shelf, wondering if this was idle curiosity on her sister's part. A stack of books that large didn't _seem_ like idle curiosity, though. She hefted the books into her arms and returned to the main room.

"Do you want to learn to be an alchemist?"

"I think so. It's like cooking, right?"

She set the books down next to the pile her sister had made. "Yeah, it is."

Emilie met her eyes, and Juska saw the steely blue determination that they'd both inherited from their ma. "I want to learn how to use a weapon, too."

"Okay. I can get you a dagger today."

"Fandelmar gave me a book about weapons. I want to use a mace."

Juska pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. “Why a mace?”

Emi looked down at her hands. “Because I’m not sure I can cut people.”

“A dagger might be a better idea. It’s easier to keep on you at all times, and the hope is that having a weapon will mean you _need_ it less.”

“...That doesn’t make any sense.”

Gods damn her for being smart. “I know daggers. I don't know how to use a mace. Do you want to work more with a bow, too? You haven't touched that in a while." Not since they had both still lived in Markarth, as far as Juska knew.

"Yeah. Let's do both. I want to help keep Janne safe. So knowing more weapons is better, right?"

_You're too young for this_. Juska almost said it out loud, even though she knew it wasn't true. "Okay. I'll talk to Balimund today, and we can start tomorrow."

"How can I help with the shop?"

This question had a much easier answer. "You can start by memorizing reagents. I'll ask you to bring me things, and you'll be spending a lot of time sorting my stock and looking at this book—" she tapped the one on the top of the stack she'd brought her sister—"for reference. That's my herb guide."

Emilie took it gingerly and started thumbing through it. "Wow. You wrote all over it."

"You'll thank me for those notes on some of the trickier ones."

Her sister looked up at her and smiled. "Okay."

"Keep an ear out for Janne. I'll duck out to talk to Balimund now."

When Emilie nodded again, Juska went and got dressed, then unbarred the entry. As the wooden plank ground upward along the door, she heard her daughter cry. Emilie immediately put down her book and walked for her niece's room. Juska felt a surge of love and gratitude for her family as she slipped her knife into her belt and walked into the market. They both needed to write Ma. They hadn't been the best at keeping in touch since coming to Riften. There was just so much to _do._

Balimund had what she needed in his shop, and even dulled the knife for her. Emilie wouldn't be happy, but she also would be less likely to get cut as she practiced. Finding space to work on technique was going to be a challenge: she wondered if the courtyard the guards practiced in was off-limits. 

By the time Juska was back at the house, Mjöll was waiting outside, in full armor, looking like a tower. She smiled pleasantly as she saw Juska turn down the street. There was no sign of her young shadow; Juska wondered what he would be up to while Mjöll helped them at the shop.

"Good morning! I was afraid I would disturb you if I knocked."

"We wake up early. It's an old habit from years of hunting." Juska opened the door and gestured for Mjöll to go in before her. "Expect some chaos this morning. We're getting everything set up to work out of home."

Emilie visibly shrank from Mjöll when she saw the woman enter the room, but took a deep breath and smiled anyway. Janne, on the other hand, immediately began wailing.

"Oh, baby." Juska swooped over and gathered her up. " _It's okay. Her name is_ Mjöll, _remember? She's a friend."_

Janne shook her head and buried her face in Juska's dress. Juska smiled apologetically at Mjöll as she ran a hand over her daughter's silken hair. "Sorry. Sometimes she wakes up a little...."

"Don't worry about it. The way I look is intentional!" 

Emilie ignored Mjöll. "Do you want me to start breakfast, Jus, or...?"

Juska chewed on her bottom lip as she looked around the room. "Can you get everything out of that shelf and drag it into the kitchen? I'll need something to work as a counter, and I think it will fit under the table."

"Yeah, sure." Emilie didn't look happy, but she did get to work. 

Juska managed to get them breakfast while using only one arm, because Janne was clinging to her side like lichen. It was going to take her a little while to get used to Mjöll, and she resigned herself to a day of decreased productivity. The three of them had breakfast at the table for what was going to be the last time, because as soon as they finished, Juska moved it perpendicular to the door to serve as a counter and block off the kitchen to create a place for clients to enter. It took an hour of hard work and swapping Janne back and forth with her sister, but soon they had a serviceable workstation and display area. By the time the first customer found their way to the house, Emilie was perched on a stool, surrounded by dried leaves and flowers, sorting them into piles by name. Juska had needed to organize her supply cabinet for months, and was very glad that she was able to pass the chore off to her sister in the name of practice. 

Not exactly fair, but her mentor Ruvene would have done it.

Mjöll stood against the wall in the space between the living room and kitchen, arms crossed, and watching silently as the first few customers came and went. Juska spent the time she wasn't helping her clientele carefully painting a plank of wood she was intending to hammer onto her stall to let people know where to go.

"Gods, this looks like shit," she muttered as she painted the last letter. "It looks like someone illiterate wrote it."

Emilie glanced over. "Jus, it looks fine."

Janne looked up from her small pile of toys. "Shit?"

Great. She ran a hand down her face. "Don't say that word, baby. Ma says bad things sometimes, remember?"

"Okay." Janne returned her attention to her toys, but Juska knew it wasn't going to be that easy. Fandelmar would be laughing at her if he were here. Since he didn't curse, he was never the reason their toddler knew some words that she shouldn't. 

...Talos' tits, she was such a great mother.

Juska left Mjöll with the girls to go put her sign on the stall, and she managed to get it into place without accidentally burning the thing down by setting off Fandelmar's protective spell. She had no idea how long it was going to last: she'd forgotten to ask before he left. It hadn't exactly been up there in important worries.

Instead of heading right back home, she looked to the keep, chewing hard on her lip. Mjöll had said that there was no point in bringing up the problems she was having with Jarl Law-Giver, but trying her luck anyway wouldn't hurt anything, right? Unless the Jarl was actively working with the Thieves Guild. Which would be ridiculous. 

She caught Brynjolf eyeing her, which made her decide on the spot to go try, if only so he could see her walking for the keep. Before she left, she gave him the biggest, friendliest wave that she could. He returned it without missing a beat, which annoyed her more than it probably should have. She didn't often _want_ to be the salt in somebody's wounds, but if she could manage that with him, she'd be thrilled.

The Jarl was sitting on her throne when Juska entered the building, Not for the first time, she wondered how Jarls managed all the sitting they did: even the couple of hours she had off her feet at night tended to make her ass go numb. She approached the throne, trying to swallow down her nervousness; she'd spoken to a Jarl exactly once before in her life. In Markarth and Windhelm, she and her loved ones had been too busy hiding to draw attention to themselves, and it was still a strange thing not to need to shy away from important people any more.

The Jarl didn't look up as Juska came close, but her steward did. Anu... Aunur... Anuriel? Gods, Fandelmar would laugh at her for not being sure. As though being married to a High Elf made her a sudden expert in all elf names. She felt a pang in her chest at the thought, which must have shown on her face, because Anuriel frowned.

"Is everything alright?"

"Hi. Yes. I'm, uh, I'm Juska. I'm the alchemist who is helping with orders. My husband took care of the skooma dealers a few months ago?"

She was babbling. She shut her mouth, hard.

The Jarl's head turned her way. "I remember hearing about you from my guard captain. I didn't know that the High Elf was your husband."

"He is, my Jarl."

"Thank you for your help over the past few days. I was sad to hear that Elgrim was in no position to assist. We are grateful that you came to the Rift when you did."

"Thank you, my Jarl."

Anuriel smiled at her. "You've received payment as expected?"

"Yes, than— oh!” Right. She should tell them what she needed. “Yeah. I'm here about something else."

"What can we do for you?"

"Well, the Thieves’ Guild is harassing me." 

The Jarl's attention had begun to drift, but at these words her head snapped back toward Juska. Unfortunately, she appeared more confused than anything else. 

Anuriel's smile didn't falter from her face, but it left her eyes so fast that Juska felt a little cold. "You're relatively new to the Rift, so perhaps you are unaware that the rumors of a thieves’ guild in the city are entirely unfounded. Such rabble would have no idea how to organize."

She had a sudden flash of understanding so strong that it felt Talos-sent. Her mouth opened, and she almost asked Anuriel if she was one of them. Thankfully, she stopped herself just in time, and instead managed: "Oh. My mistake. But even if not, my stall still got destroyed a few days ago."

The Jarl frowned. "Do you know who did it?"

"Yes."

"Did you _see_ them do it?" Anuriel asked.

"Well... no."

"Did anybody tell you that they saw it being vandalized?"

She felt her jaw begin to clench. New hold, old problem. Mjöll had been right: Juska would need to take care of this herself. Just like she'd had to do with the Butcher back in Windhelm. And she suspected that if she weren't careful with the rest of this visit, she'd have people actively working against her family in government here. 

Gods. They’d left to get _away_ from this shit.

"...No."

"Then my hands are tied in this case, at least for now." The Jarl gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll make sure the guard captain puts extra patrols in the market at night, so that if it happens again, we will catch who did it."

Juska looked down at her feet, mostly to avoid Anuriel's strange, dark eyes. "Thank you, my Jarl. I won't take up any more of your time."

"It's no problem. I enjoy speaking with my hold's citizens." 

She excused herself anyway, and tried to keep her fists from clenching as she left the keep, because she could still feel that Wood Elf's eyes on her back. Her attention was mostly focused inward as she paced through the market and toward home, but Brynjolf managed to catch her eye and give her a wink as she passed. The action made her feel a surge of anger so intense that she had to pause in front of the house and take a breath or two so that her face wouldn't be red when she came in.

Mjöll greeted her when she re-entered the open door. "Was there trouble?"

"No. I fu... uh," Juska cut herself off, glancing to where Janne was carefully stacking blocks, and ignored Emilie's laughter from over by the reagents. "I messed up. I did what you said not to and spoke to the Jarl."

"I'm sure that steward of hers was all help and smiles."

"Pretty much, yeah. So she's part of the guild, then?"

"As good as. I've never found proof, but I am certain that Maven Black-Briar pays her to keep the Jarl misinformed."

"Why does that name sound familiar?"

"She runs the meadery, legally, and half the town, practically. Be glad, if you haven't had to deal with her."

Juska was about to ask for more details, but two customers chose that moment to walk in. And then, once they'd been helped, Emilie had questions about some of the ingredients she was sorting. Before she knew it, the sun was setting, and Mjöll was taking her leave for the night. Juska sent her off with several potions and a lot of thanks, which Mjöll shrugged off, even as she promised to be back the next day.

She and her sister juggled Janne's attention as they cleaned up and got dinner ready. Her daughter was definitely feeling Fandelmar's absence, and crumpled into tears more than once as the evening went on. It took a great deal of singing, but all three of them made it through the night. It was hard getting her down to sleep, and Juska felt herself missing her husband for many, many reasons as she struggled through what was not normally her routine. She didn't have a nice singing voice, and she didn't have her husband's endless patience, but she did eventually manage to keep Janne asleep long enough to get her in her crib. Gods. Maybe she should just have Janne sleep with her while Fandelmar was gone. It might be easier on both of them. 

No. That would be a fucking nightmare of a habit to break later, no matter how easy it felt now. 

When she came out of her daughter's bedroom, she found Emilie on the floor, ringed by open books. She was comparing different pages which all dealt with hawk feathers.

"We need to get you a journal so you can start taking notes."

Her sister glanced up at her. "I'd like that."

"I think I might have a spare. Get up and write our family with me, and it’s yours. We haven't sent nearly as many letters as we should have."

Emilie rose obediently and lit another candle while Juska got paper and ink. With the kitchen table turned into a counter, they settled down at the low table in the living room, with the candle between them, and got to writing. Her sister's quill scratched steadily, her handwriting fluid and even. Juska kept blotting the paper and had to restart the letter to her mother twice. By the time she finished her letter to Sven, she was feeling kind of stupid. 

"I'll send them off in the morning." She rummaged through a nearby bookshelf for something to read, and found a slim volume of High Elf history that Fandelmar had acquired at some point.

Emilie carefully laid her letters down to dry. "When can we practice with my dagger?"

"I think we can close the shop every day for lunch, eat, and get some practice in."

"In front of the big lady?"

"She probably knows more about daggers than I do, Emi. And there's nobody to watch Janne, so we need to stay close to home."

Her sister sighed, but nodded. "Okay."

Juska ruffled her hair, which made her squawk indignantly. "Go get some sleep. You worked hard today."

"Night, sis."

Emilie left for bed, and Juska spent time checking the front door before she put out the candles and went into her bedroom. She felt strangely wakeful, and so settled in and opened her book, intent on doing something that made her feel like less of an idiot until she finally felt tired enough to sleep. The book turned out to be about how the Summerset Isles fared during the Oblivion Crisis, which she realized was probably why Fandelmar had it at all: he'd mentioned once that he'd joined the Thalmor because of the then widely-held belief that they'd stopped it themselves. This account seemed to be written by a non-Altmer, and had a much less optimistic view of the Thalmor's actual role. 

The words started to feel foreign after a few minutes of reading. So many dates, and eras, and names of places she didn't know made the narrative hard to follow. She needed a fucking map to get through this thing; she didn’t know anything about the Isles’ geography. 

Juska was about to set the book aside and settle in to toss and turn when she heard something outside. She froze, holding her breath, and listened hard. There it was again: a footstep, faintly audible through the glass of the window.

She immediately tossed the covers aside and ran for her daggers where they were resting on the shelf beside Fandelmar's armor. She listened hard, and could just barely make out the footsteps going around the back of the house toward the front door. She slipped into the living room and took a stance on the other side of the door, praying all the while that it was just someone out for a stroll. 

It wasn't; she heard the lock pop, and watched as someone carefully tried to push the door open. Thankfully, the bar held it in place. 

Juska strode forward, turned the pommel of a dagger toward the wood of the door, and pounded on it twice, hoping to startle whoever was on the other side. There was no voice in response, but she could—underneath her frantically beating heart— hear footsteps moving quickly away. 

She held her breath for what felt like several minutes, listening hard to see if the person would come back. Eventually, she was able to convince herself that the danger was over. She was less successful in convincing herself that it was okay to go back to bed, and ended up settling in to sleep on the floor in front of the door. Just in case. 

She worked through every prayer to Talos she knew three times before her mind finally stilled enough to let her sleep.


End file.
